2018 Volume 15 Pages 93-113
In Japan, only 17.5％ of children who are in out-of-home care are in foster
care, with the remaining children in institutional care. Many people concerned
with child welfare have been wondering why there is an insufficient number of
registered foster carers. However, many registered foster carers, in fact, have
not had any child placed with them. The purpose of this paper is to examine
why this situation exists. Interviews revealed that there is not an insufficient
number of registered foster carers, but an insufficient number of “entrusted”
foster carers. “Entrusted” foster carers are designated as able to take care of a
child with minimal support from child guidance centers. In the final analysis,
developing an effective environment to provide support to foster carers by such
child guidance centers is crucial.
