The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the characteristics of foster children and foster parents and the well-being of the foster children, with the aim of contributing to a more effective foster care system. We surveyed 4,038 foster parent households nationwide. The questionnaire consisted of questions pertaining to the characteristics of the foster child in their care (foster child’s gender, age, presence or absence of disabilities, abused experiences and school level), the foster parents themselves (number of foster children, foster parenting self-evaluation, 1 item version social welfare-related QOL and household income), and their foster child’s well-being. In the statistical analysis, we used the data of 702 households with no missing values. We developed a child well-being concise scale and examined a MIMIC model by structural equation modeling. The result of this study confirmed the compatibility of the model (CFI=0.984, RMSEA=0.048), and revealed the variables related to foster children’s well-being. We discussed measures to effectively enhance foster children’s well-being, which is one of the important outcomes in foster care.

There are many children attending regular classes in elementary and junior high schools with disabilities, such as developmental disorders or mild intellectual disabilities, who experience multiple problems with life. The results of past interviews with such children has revealed that often the support they received was inadequate, leading to multiple problems, including social isolation. However, the results also suggested that encountering trustworthy people such as teachers or support providers in schools and/or child welfare services, even if only for a limited time, has had a beneficial influence on these children. Support that needs to be provided by schools includes, skilled teachers able to recognize, at an early stage, students having difficulties with life, and the implementation of an interdisciplinary team system capable of addressing the life problems of students from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, in order to assist these children with developing relationships with trustworthy adults from various aspects of daily life, this support must be provided not only by schools, but also through collaboration with the local community.

Some daycare center staff are highly sensitive towards the early detection of families experiencing problems in daily living and actively collaborate with other relevant organizations. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted to examine the characteristics of daycare centers engaging in these functions. The results indicated that centers with a high level of awareness towards early intervention and inter-organizational collaboration (“high awareness and collaboration”) were characterized by strong director leadership, recognition of the support needs of children and their families, and an appreciation for the importance of the support process. The centers with “high awareness but low collaboration” were characterized by strong director leadership, an appreciation for the importance of the support process, sufficient information sharing between staff and an organizational climate supporting staff development. Centers with “low awareness but high collaboration” appeared to be characterized by a limited emphasis on the support process and hastily engaging in collaboration only after the family reached a state of crisis. Lastly, centers with “low awareness and collaboration” claimed that very few families had problems in daily living, however it appeared as though these centers were experiencing difficulties in the areas of organizational climate and inner-staff cooperation. These findings suggest that the sensitivity and awareness level of the center’s staff for families in need can contribute to the prevention of a family’s difficult living situation from getting worse.

The purpose of this research was to explore the process of how mothers develop trusting relationships with daycare center childcare workers in charge of their children. The author conducted semi-structured interviews with eleven mothers whose children were 0 to 5 years of age. Their children attended authorized childcare centers and local childcare facilities located in Tokyo from July to September of 2018. The interviews were analyzed using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach (M-GTA). The results identified three types of processes involved in establishing a trusting relationship with childcare workers: ① the process related to the childcare workers care of their child; ② the process related to collaboration with the childcare worker; and ③ the process related to home parenting consultations. Regarding the first process, trusting relationships began to develop when mothers observed the childcare worker keeping a gentle eye on their child and were further strengthened as they recognized the child-care worker’s versatile childcare skills, progressing towards an appreciation for and desire to cooperation with the child-care worker. Regarding the second process of collaboration and the third process of consultation, the constant cooperation and consultation made mothers feel comfortable and the positive exchanges of information made the relationship stronger. Furthermore, the feeling of security that the childcare worker understood their family situation, led to cooperation, consultation and the further development of a trusting relationship, perceiving the childcare worker as a reliable partner in the care of their child.

In the UK there are advocacy services for children in care, independent of the institution, that serve children who request the opportunity to express their opinions or file a complaint. The author and colleagues, based upon this UK model, implemented the Visiting Advocacy Project at a children’s home in Japan, over a two-year trial period. In this study, interviews were conducted with 19 children and 7 staff members of this children home, and the results were compared to the pre-service needs assessment (2014–2015) to clarify the significance of and issues related to the program. The children and staff reported that the advocacy interviews were very positive. By expressing their dissatisfactions children were able to calm down, and improved their ability to actively express their feelings to others, contributing to positive change in the children. Staff reported that the existence of the advocacy project heightened their awareness of children’s rights, increasing their desire to actively listen to the thoughts of children in their care. On the other hand, children reported that the visitations by the advocates were too short. Staff expressed concern regarding confidentiality of information disclosed to the advocates, as well as the perceived vagueness of the advocates role, underscoring the fact that the advocates role is not easily understood.

In this study, a questionnaire survey was administered to public and private childcare centers and maternal and child health facilities nationwide regarding seamless support for aid-requiring infants and their families. The survey aimed to clarify the type of collaboration and support systems that childcare centers and maternal and child health facilities seek. The results found that childcare centers wish to collaborate with maternal and child health facilities, while child health facilities also consider collaboration with childcare centers and other facilities to be important. The study suggests that maternal and child health facilities have more support methods and practical experience in supporting aid-requiring children and families. Although childcare centers are conscious of the need to provide ongoing daily support, the lack of human resources is an issue. Both private and public childcare centers expressed a desire for specialists to be assigned to their centers, to ensure that support and collaboration can progress more smoothly and professionally. However, at this particular point in time, addressing the serious personnel shortage appears to be of greater priority.

The aim of this study was to investigate the transformation process of the feelings of parents in relation to collaborative staff-parent relationships, with parents who care for young children with distinctive characteristics, such as developmental disorders. The method of study involved interviewing parents of these young children and the nursery school teacher in charge of their care. Analysis was performed based on the Trajectory Equifinality Approach (TEM). The results found that there was a significant relationship between “obtaining a consensus of feelings,” “reconstructing reality in terms of recognition of the target child” and “learning by the nursery school teacher themselves, rather than just supporting the parent,” and the development of collaborative parent-teacher relationships. By reconstructing the reality of the child grasped by the parent and nursery school teacher, it was suggested that support could be provided to the parent, leading to the stabilization of their feelings. Additionally, the nursery school teacher is in the position of learning from the parent in relation to the care of the child, and it was found that mutual learning is necessary for the development of this collaborative relationship.

This study aimed to examine the process of psychological and physical change in care leavers from a residential care institution (RCI) in Cambodia. Data of 26 young individuals were collected through interviews and analyzed by employing an M-GTA approach. The results found that upon placement, they perceived the RCI positively. Additionally, the RCI offered a safe place which protected them from the need to engage in child labor. This safe living environment worked as a base, which provided education, vocational training, life skills training, and new life experiences (i.e. trips) facilitating the development of their future goals. Upon leaving, they reported feeling loneliness, suggesting that the RCI served as a “place of belonging” for them. These young individuals found that, not only traditional supports, such as education and job training, but daily life experiences with staff led to their personal development and ability to live independently.