Abstract
This paper aims to present a perspective and method of community welfare planning, as an approach to the studies on community policies. Firstly, it indicates a structural understanding of the objects of Community welfare and a perspective of building a welfare town by local residents first with a close partnership between public and voluntary sectors. Secondly, it goes on examining some points of community welfare promotion in the political, economic context, which have been highlighted by social policy today with the statute.
Thirdly, as the central part of this paper, the organisations and procedures of community welfare planning are studied in detail, stressing to pursuit integrated four processes toward building a welfare town; (1) involving local residents and professionals concerned, (2) identifying and co-recognizing community welfare problems, (3) discussions and making consensus for collaboration and roles to tackle with problems, and (4) developing initiatives of those involved and their activities. In this part the importance of the research which identifies characteristics of local communities and realities of residents' lives is discussed. As for planning stages, an example of the collaborated planning model with public and voluntary sectors in Hannan City in Osaka Prefecture is viewed, which has left lessons including outcomes and difficulties. Finally, problematic tendencies found in some examples of community welfare planning are referred to.
