“To whom” and “for what” is support for: Focusing on the “deviation” between the needs of foreign citizens and support by outside supporters

Abstract

This research is about collaborative practice between foreign citizens and support groups in Handa City, Aichi Prefecture. Although both the clients and their outside supporters confirmed the “initial needs” of the clients, in collaborative practice the content of the support provided sometimes deviated from these initial needs (“other support”). We regard the “deviation” between needs and support as a situation in which the relationship between clients and their outside supporters becomes a discussion. The aim of this paper was to determine how this “deviation” should be interpreted. The results showed that in collaborative practice the “deviation” between “initial needs” and “other support” should not necessarily be eliminated, but rather, it was perceived as connecting the clients and their outside supporters. Such “deviation” can be significant in an interactive relationship between clients and their outside supporters.