"Young carer" 44 students gave up their careers due to family care Saitama Prefecture

Among the students who graduated from public high schools in Saitama prefecture this spring, NHK conducted a survey of all schools and found that at least 17% of the 24 students gave up their desired course due to family care. There were a total of 44 people at school.

Children who care for their families are called "young carers," and experts said, "While many children cannot tell their family situation, the numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. Immediate support is required. I point out.

In March, NHK conducted a survey of all 145 public high schools in Saitama Prefecture and responded from 141 schools in order to investigate the impact on the career paths of children called "young carers" who are responsible for family care and care. Got

As a result, of the students who graduated from public high schools this spring, a total of 44 students in 24 high schools, at least 17%, gave up their desired career path due to family care or care.

When I interviewed a school about a specific case, I was hoping for a university outside the prefecture, but I was forced to go to a school I didn't want because I couldn't leave my house because of my parents' care. In some cases, the household budget became tight and I gave up going to school and got a job.

In addition, at least 46 high schools totaled 126 people who confessed that they were having trouble going on to school or finding a job due to family care.

A survey conducted by Saitama Prefecture on "Young Carer" revealed that one out of every 25 second-year high school students falls under this category, but the impact on their career paths was unknown.

Expert “Creating a mechanism to support the tip of the iceberg”

Associate Professor Yoshie Hamashima of Osaka Dental University, who is familiar with the issue of young carers, said, "I think it is very clear that there are definitely children who are restricted in their career choices. This number is just the tip of the iceberg, as many children take care of themselves on a daily basis and are unaware that their lives are restricted, and many do not tell their teachers about their situation. " I'm pointing out.

On top of that, "In the case of Japan, there is a place where it is fixed that you have to take this step at a certain age, and if you do not get on it well, you will fall out of the mainstream of society, and there is a reality that you can not easily revive, so you give up your course. The existence of children who do this is a problem that cannot be overlooked. "

Regarding the required measures, "I understand the situation where the teacher cannot step into the internal circumstances of the family, so I can create a mechanism such as connecting to support in the welfare field through school social workers, and I can consult at any time at the consultation counter provided at the school. It is important to clarify the contact point, such as creating an atmosphere. "

Furthermore, regarding the current problems of long-term care, "There is still a deficiency in the support system in society, and the situation is such that families and children have to do it. Consider a support system that allows you to live without family care. I need to go. "

A woman who gave up hope for a career due to long-term care

Mai (25), who said she had abandoned her desired career due to family care, began to be busy caring for her grandfather with cancer and her grandmother with dementia when she was in her second year of high school.

I was in the brass band club, but my grandfather's hospital procedures continued to take days off from club activities, and I had to quit my goal of the summer tournament for my second year of high school.

At night, her demented grandmother began to wander outside, and at midnight the police called her to pick her up, often angry at why she hadn't seen her.

Even regular lessons, which lasted until late at night, had to be late or leave early, and I explained the situation to the school teacher, but I couldn't get them to tell me to lie more decently.

Even so, I couldn't give up my dream of studying environmental conservation, so I desperately pursued studying for entrance exams at the bedside of my grandparents and passed the national university, which was my first choice.

However, due to family circumstances such as my parents being busy working together, I had to give up because I was the only person to take care of my grandparents.

Mai commented on her feelings at the time, saying, "I was angry because I had a hard time limiting my school life in the face of the reality that I could go to a university that I passed without nursing care. When I didn't want to see it anymore, I shredded it and cried. "

After that, I re-taken a local university in the second semester exam and went on to university, but it was a completely different field from my initial hope.

Even now, seven years after graduating from high school, Mai says that at this time of year when the results are announced and the entrance ceremony is held, she remembers giving up her desired course due to long-term care, and her heart hurts.

Mai said, "In high school, I was afraid that I would have to take a different path from other children because I was caring for everything that happened at school. What I can do in high school will not come back. I think the lost things are big. "

School site "How far can I go?"

From the free description of the questionnaire conducted this time, NHK seems to be confused about how to teach students who are considered to be young carers.

One is that the school does not know how far it can go into domestic problems.

"We are in an era where it is difficult to hear the situation at home, although we can respond if students and parents consult with the school."

"Students don't always talk about their worries, and even if they do, I'm worried about how far they can go into the home as a teacher."

"In some cases, the person is unaware that long-term care has become commonplace and is affecting his or her career path. Even if the support from the government is sufficient, the information has not reached the household where it is originally needed. , Homes do not have the power to access such information. "

In addition, some voices raised financial issues.

"Many students give up going on to school because they can't pay the entrance fee. I think it takes time and money for long-term care and care."

"I was worried about the financial problems in deciding the course, how to connect with the public care of the municipalities, and how to get help."

"Some students give up (such as going on to school) in financial circumstances. Maybe some of them are" young carers "though we don't see them."

We also heard voices about the ideal way of sharing information and the consultation system.

"It is difficult to share information with local welfare officers and public institutions and to delineate how far we can be involved." "I thought it would be easier to give guidance if there were information about institutions and pamphlets that could be consulted outside of school."

"I feel the need to consult with other institutions because of the varying degrees of young carers."

Prefectural Board of Education "We must take it seriously"

In response to the results of this survey, Toru Hiyoshi, director of the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education's prefectural school department, said, "It is Saitama Prefecture that so many students were forced to choose their career paths while having difficulty in caring for their families. But we have to take it seriously. "

On top of that, "Because it is a fact that teachers did not have the perspective of a young carer until now, each student independently has his or her own career path by having teachers acquire correct knowledge, such as training teachers as a prefectural board of education. I want to put in place a system so that I can make choices. "