The minimum standards ministerial ordinances of the social welfare facilities were enacted in Japan after the second world war. But they are only the minimum standards of residential accommodation for children, elderly people or handicapped, and the level of residential accommodation minimum standards remains poor-relief level. Besides, we have not yet personal social services (at home) minimum standards. Therefore the welfare policy level for the aged at home is now different in local authorities, and the level difference is becoming unreasonable, especially in the basic home service such as short-stay service and day-care. Then the purpose of this essay is reviewing the minimum standards of residential accommodation and analyzing following items with regard to the personal social services (residential accommodation & at home) minimum standards. 1. Classification of social welfare standards in the light of legal sanction. 2. The level of new minimum standards not only for residential accommodation but also for home services. 3. The form of minimum standards legislation. 4. The essential particulars in the new minimum standards for elderly people. 5. Legal framework in order to maintain the standards, particularly legal framework for allotment of public responsibility between central and local governments.

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The expectation to, and the dependence on the private sector are greatly increasing lately in the community welfare field. It means that the responsibility of the much of the services so far carried by the public sector need to be shifted to the private sector. "The principles of sharing responsibility" is now advocated loudly. The relation between "public" and "private" sectors should be re-examined carefully so that the merits of the private sector are properly recognized and utilized, and be activated where necessary. However, the situation in our country does not show the clear-cut distinction between "public" and "private", making the true nature of the private or voluntary welfare agencies rather vague. It is shown in the constitution of the personnel of the social welfare councils, that the councils are supposed to be the "private" welfare agencies but in the reality, they are far from it. For example, in the prefectural councils of social welfare, 68.6% of the directors are "sent" or coming from the local administration office. In the municipal councils, 61.1% of them are such persons. The "public" control through those personnel is even stronger in smaller local councils. The following points are essential to the sound developments of the private sector's role in the community welfare. (1) To improve the quality of professional activities of the community council of social welfare. (2) To introduce more of the citizen volunteers, specialists groups to the programs of the council. (3) To make the services of the council more realistic and vital one so that they can take more effective roles in social movement to pursue new welfare policies. To establish a democratic partnership between "public" and "private", so that the one-way flow of "public" personnel and the block shift of services to the private sector be checked, and the more opinions and proposals from the voluntary sector be incorporated to the public policies.

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The concepts of "public" and "private" can be stated respectively (1) statutory social services carried by public agencies, and (2) voluntary social services carried by voluntary citizens, groups, private agencies and organizations. We can also say that, statutory services are "the welfare of public guarantee" while the voluntary ones are "welfare of participation". We need both of them if we want to attain a highly developed stage of welfare society. Volunteer activities today, however, is finding itself in the situation far from the above mentioned dual-poles structure of "public" and "private". Rather, "the administrative logic of centralistic delegation" is governing the whole social service scene. The "public" seems to be controlling not only the contents of voluntary services, but also the training and organization of the volunteers. As a result, many difficulties are arising. I would like to mention following three points as essential to overcome those difficulties. (1) To distinguish what the public sector can do from what cannot do. Then to make citizen's volunteer activities more effective to widen and strengthen the autonomy of the local governments. (2) To clarify the basic characteristics of voluntary activities in welfare services. (3) To emphasize the importance to follow "the principles of independence and cooperation" as well as "the principle of support without control".

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1. The Role of Caseworker in The Public Welfare Office In 1981, there was a re-organization of the Kodaira Public Welfare Office where I belonged, and all caseworkers are assigned to certain area with the responsibility to administer all kinds of welfare laws instead of the former pattern of administering only one law to the whole area. As the result of this reform, each caseworker became able to handle the needs of the clients in whole, no matter under which law it is covered. This change was a very good base to develop personal social service in the community. 2. The "Public" and "Private" in the Community Care Program Voluntary activities in the community are usually develop in various forms by various people. The local administration's role is to be alert to the direction of those voluntary action and the way that potential needs become clear enough for the public action to be taken. In so doing the services which might be carried by the voluntary organization more effectively will be found and be left to them. We see its good example in the system of "friend to the aged" of Kodaira City. The cooperative relationship between the "public" and "private" could be developed only in this way. In Kodaira, the council of social welfare are operating the Center of the Physically Handicapped. It is our opinion that the more professional and more flexible services are ensured by this way of administration rather than the "public" operation of it. Also, we must not forget that the various voluntary groups' activities of many years in the community were the important factor to promote the creation of the Center.

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1. The purpose of the paper is to examine what the function of home-help service should be as a part of personal social services for the aged and the handicapped, how they are presently organized, and then what need to be improved for the future. 2. Needs for home-help are analyzed through the surveys on the conditions of the lives of the aged and the handicapped. 3. The above analysis shows that the following two aspects should be noted as the basic characteristics of home-help needs. (1) Needs for care and support vary both in the contents and in the quantity (frequency and amount), according to the living condition of the person. Also, it must be rememberd that there are individual need of various kinds exist besides the basic and common need for help in daily household tasks. (2) The handicapped have special needs for help alongside the process of ADL training for independent living. They also need special and often very urgent emergency needs for care and support on and after the death of the family member living in the same household. 4. The important factors to constitute the need for home help are; (1) types and degrees of handicaps (2) life stage (3) life history (4) condition of the family, including the marital status, job, income, children, and family and kinships relations, (5) housing condition and neighboring environment, and (6) social relationships with neighbors and other friends 5. The home-help service aims at the extention of the period of independent living of the aged and the handicapped in the community, and the prevention of the unnecessary hospitalization and entrance to the institution. No need to say that the basic needs of life including economic security, housing and medical care should be met. Home-help service should be provided in close relation to other personal social services like short-term stay in institutions, daycare, meal-on-wheel service, access to various self-help devices, visiting nurse and other medical services at home. The social worker's counselling and advice are indispensable in the development of close network of those services in the community. 6. Toward the better provision of home help service in the future, it is necessary to have ; (1) much closer network of whole personal social services, which will certainly increase the effectiveness of home help, and (2) the large scale extention of the service and its more flexible administration, together with the establishment of sound system of coordination, including necessary scheme for the education and training of both helpers and coordinators. (3) Good cooperation between responsible local government and voluntary groups and citizens.

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Among the personal social services carried by the voluntary agencies, there are "Walk-in Counselling Service" by the Welfare Councils and "The Hot Line". In 1983, there are 3900 walk-in counselling centers and they are much used as the easy-to-reach places to bring all kinds of worries and troubles. The MINSEI UN and JIDO UN who are carrying those services are usually without professional training of any kind. As the social problems becoming more and more compricated, the level of their counselling are often considered to be not high enough to meet the needs of clients. The Hot-Line are now operating 24 centers all over the country. In contrast to the clients of the walk-in counselling center who are limited to the surrounding community, the Hot-Line Service is for the clients with latent needs regardless of where they live. Hot-Line's characteristics lie in its anonymity, immediacy, and its accessibility. These characteristics can be very effective as the tool to help many persons with latent needs, who might easily become the subject of welfare service in the future if left unaided. Those services which are giving much help and support to the people are carried by the volunteers with professionals participating in various capacities. The organization and management are very flexible and efficient. It is my opinion that the personal service of this kind will become more and more important in near future. The professional social workers and local administration office must act as a coordinator and/or advisor and partner in the training of those volunteer counsellors.

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