To check the decline in elderly's quality of life, the most important point is not to keep them to their houses. Viewing the present practice to keep the elderly to their houses and the limiting factors that check their outdoor daily activities, we hypothesized that the several of these limiting factors would lead to decline in keeping the elderly to their houses. The study also attempts to clarify the effects of these limiting factors. Survey candidates who are over 65-year-old are all residents of Chiba Prefecture, M City, M District. After conducting the hearing survey, 81 answers were obtained. The analyzed results clearly showed 50 factors influencing the practice of keeping the elderly to their houses. Moreover, within these factors, we found 1) encouraging factors (positive factors) and 2) declining factors (negative factors) and the complex correlation of these factors affecting one's outdoor daily activities. In conclusion, enhancing the positive factors and eliminating the negative factors are considered as an effective strategy to avoid the keeping of the elderly to their houses.

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This paper aims to define three types of team activities. Although team activities are often defined as teamwork, they in strict sense, consist of three types of activities as follows ; 1) taskwork 2) teamwork 3) network These activities are defined as follows ; 1) the taskwork refers to the activities with tasks. It includes tasks carried out by both individuals and a team. 2) the teamwork refers to the interpersonal interactions among professionals within a team. It is necessary for exchanging information, developing and maintaining communication patterns, coordinating activities, maintaining social order, and so on. 3) the network refers to the interactions with external environment of a team. It is necessary for exchanging information, developing and maintaining social resources, coordinating activities, andsoon.

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This study examines some problems related to the existing principles of the helping practice adopted in the mental handicapped welfare facilities in Japan. It also aims to highlight the problems faced in protecting the Human Rights of the clients, which stem from such principles. While focusing upon the theory of Human Rights which characterizes the present help system as well as its inherent power to guide the client, this analysis in the end proposes the necessity of developing the "social interaction" between the clients and a systematic participation of their families in the helping practice of the welfare facilities.

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In 1996, we made a survey of families that had children with developmental disabilities. The feeling of stigma was evaluated by asking questions concerning notification of the disabilities and how the families felt in social life. The answers have been statistically dealt with. The factors of stigmatization are (1) inadequate attitudes of the persons notifying the disabilities to families, (2) the inappropriateness of the time to notify the disabilities, (3) the discontentment with the informant, (4) the long period for acceptance of the disabilities, (5) unsuitable behavior of staffs in social support systems, (6) feeling of isolation through unpleasant experiences in social life. The points below are discussed. 1) It is crucial for the families how to notice the developmental disabilities of their children. 2) It is necessary for the families to reduce the feeling of stigma in order to accept the developmental disabilities of their children. 3) The families who are unable to accept the disabilities tend to feel stigmatized when they consult with social support systems. In order to reduce the feeling of stigma, various social support network systems are very important for practical support for the children themselves, psychological support for the families, suitable consulting places and better understanding of the disabilities in the society.

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This report is a summary of the results of a survey on 566 municipalities receiving subsidies from the Ministry of Health and Welfare in order to make their own "Child Rearing Plan". This report aims to examine the present procedure for making up the plan and to evaluate how the plan contributes to achieving it's target and providing childcare services. In the 1990's there were fears that in launching a campaign to increase the birthrate, the original purpose of the plan would be lost. Many policies in operation are concerned with supporting the raising of children. The Ministry of Health and Welfare presented the "Basic Direction of Policies to Support Future Child Rearing" (the "Angel plan") in 1994, and this was approved by the Ministers of Education, Labor and Construction. In addition to this, "5-year Projects including Urgency Day Care Measures" was also announced and approved by the three Ministers. These 5 -year projects involved "Day Care Targets of Priority" consisting of 7 childcare services. In order to promote this project, the "Child-Rearing Plan" was started in 1995. Another basic idea of the "Child-Rearing Plan" is that a good child-rearing environment needs to be created not only for those children of working mothers needing day care but also for the children being cared for at home and whose parents are involved in the child-rearing process in general. Making up a "Child-Rearing Plan" on a municipal level was, on the whole, successful, especially with regards to understanding the needs of families with children and establishing mutual relations between some departments relating to children and family matters. However the number of childcare services has yet to reach the number needed to achieve the targets set out in the "Day Care Targets of Priority" project. And also, most of "Child-Rearing Plan" are lacking of the point of view of child protection and support. Nonetheless, it is necessary to make a "Child-Rearing Plan" for minicipalities' policies for children families developing.

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A survey was conducted to ascertain the current state of early integration education for handicapped children and it's support system. A questionaire was sent to the excutive officer of city office in each prefectural capitals. Data was obtained from 38 city offices. Many nursery schools accepted handicapped children. Consultation was conducted in many cities, but the number was not enough. In-service training of nursery school teachers was conducted in many cities, but manager training was conducted in 37 percent of the cities. The data obtained suggest that it is indispensable to establish a community support system including consultation, in-service training, and closer cooperation with special institutes to implement appropriate treatment for handicapped children in the nursery school integration settings.

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In this research, I propose a "power transaction model" that is based on some perspectives and their interventional methods to show the uniqueness and the necessity of school social work practice in Japan. This model focuses upon the power transaction between student and environment, and aims to improve the situation. Assessment consists of understanding the situation, and making clear the student's needs. The interventional methods include advocacy, empowerment, and services coordination. I believe that the mission and the purpose of school social work is to improve student's situation where they are deprived of their rights and opportunities of just and equal school education. And advocacy is the major action to improve the situation. By improving the situation, I believe that the empowerment of the students can be achieved. Therefore, it is important to understand the situation properly, and advocate the student's needs. This paper shows a case study that is based on power transaction model. But, to stress the neccesity of school social work in Japan, this model will have to build a theory, and needs to test its effectiveness.

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There is an growing recognition that society needs to develop social policies and services to help families overcome their problems. However, before we can implement these policies we should identify how the policies showed categorize the family problems. The purpose of this study is to analyze family problems and how we constructs our understanding of family problems and family. This study presents several issues on how we define our concepts of family problems. This study also presents two different viewpoints on how we as a society perceive family life today. "Family problems" as a topic for study deals not only the problems' categorical typologies and its basis of understanding, but also the social construction of our stereotypes of family problems. And today's approach toward "family" is grounded on the assumption that the family is a group of individuals which cohabitate for mutual benefit with their relationships. This paper will analyze how we could view social programs on the family as a unit (as opposed to individuals) to address family problems. Inherent to this analysis will be the concept of "Family Strengths" - a new methodology for family social work and its practices.

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Discharge planning is becoming one of the most important tasks for social worker in hospital, although there has not been any statistical analysis about it. The purpose of this paper is to study the establishment of discharge planning as a new task for social worker in a large hospital of highly specialized status. It clarifies the elements affecting the number of the cases, and discusses what makes possible adequate referral by hospital doctors to social workers. Tasks of social workers are categorized in four- (A) support for hospital utilization, (B) discharge planning, (C) solving economic problem, and (D) others. As for the elements affecting it, two factors are picked up : (a) medical care policy of the government toward specialization of hospitals, and (b) formation of "team as framework". As for discharge planning, establishment of the task is affected by medical care policy, whereas "team as framework" affects adequate referral. On the other hand, as for support for hospital utilization, "team as framework" affects both, establishment of the task and adequate referral. It is concluded that medical care policy affects mainly the establishment of discharge planning, whereas "team as framework" affects support for hospital utilization and the establishment of discharge planning through adequate referral.

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The purpose of this study is the clarification of medical social work functions. Using grounded theory, we extracted a list of medical social work characteristics which differ from features of other medical professions. We designed a questionnaire consisting of 33 items based on these characteristics. These items were called "ideal image". A total of 150 medical social workers were asked to rate each item on a scale of one to five. By analyzing their responses we were able to extract five factors which have been identified as indicators for the distinctive features of medical social work. Finally, questions were asked pertaining to the level of awareness of these items in the course of medical social work practice. We called the results "Practical Awareness" and compared them to the "ideal image". Significant differences between the two were confirmed. Where such differences arise from is an issue that will require further study.

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It is the purpose of this study to examine the predictors for promotion of positive changes in the motivation for volunteer activities, in the attitude and behavior changes seen as the result of social service education and service learning programs. The data used in this study were obtained from participants in social service education and service learning programs. The dependent variables were the participants' positive changes in the motivation for volunteer activities. The independent variables were the changes in the participants' attitude and behavior. The analysis of this study was done by logistic regression analysis. The results were as follows : In this study, three changes of attitude and behavior were found. 1) The participants became angry with the unjust treatment of the socially disadvantaged. 2) The participants became glad with appropriate treatment of the socially disadvantaged. 3) The participants became less focused on superficial characters of the socially disadvantaged. It was suggested from these results that these three changes of attitude and behavior are important to develop and to practice social service education and service learning programs.

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This paper considers the significance and limitations of the concept of self-decision making in the welfare sector, and takes an overall look at the effects of this concept upon the welfare sector. Firstly, in a juridicial approach to the concept of self-decision making, the present constitutional arguments are analyzed and verified ; then the legal eligibility of self-decision making for an established right is investigated. Secondly, in a sociological approach to the concept of self-decision making, the effects of this concept on other people and interactive effects among other people (paternalism) are analyzed. On the basis of these juridical and sociological analyses, this paper presents the following three points of view : 1. Necessity for respecting self-decision making without considering it to be a mere right 2. How to mitigate paternalism, which is an urgent issue in the social welfare sector 3. Need for improving welfare for the community and offering more options in the welfare sector, so that self-decision making can be respected Lastly, based on clarification of the relationships of self-decision making to self-choice and self-responsibility, the following points are considered : 1. Self-decision making by disabled people 2. Self-decision making by those who support disabled people 3. Self-decision making in the community including disabled people

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In the late 1950 s, the problem of SMID was becoming a social problem and attracted attention of the general public. Because they were excluded from social welfare services. The purpose of this study is to examine the reasons why people with SMID were left unprotected. Through this analysis, 3 issues came into light : 1. Japanese social welfare system for the disabled accepted only those who didn't need medical care. But SMID are absolutely necessary for medical long-term care. 2. The system was used only those who will able to socially integrate until 1960 s. As a result SMID were left. 3. The system for the disabled is sharply divided by age and impairment level. So multiple disabilities i.e., SMID were not given access to services legally although they needed social protection.

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The purpose of the study is to show the difference of outlook on elderly people held by middle school and senior high school students in Korea and Japan, it compares the outlook on the elderly held by Korean and Japanese secondary School students, using the same variables and also observed how the variables influence their reception. The social and cultural background and the value orientation of each society affects the perception of and attitude toward seniors. Because Korea and Japan are geographically adjacent, they share similarities of oriental culture. Questionnaire included the SD scale, whether living with grandparents or not, grandparents' health condition, grandparents' economic level, meal hours with grandparents, frequency of interaction with grandparents, expected age to be a senior, conversation hours with grandparents, personal data gender, grade, region. A total of 1360 applicable results were received and analyzed in Korea with 683 collected from Junior schools and 677 from senior high schools. In Japan, a total of 734 applicable results were collected and analyzed with 468 collected from middle schools and 266 from high schools. The cases that marked the same answers to all SD scale were excluded from the analysis. We were able to get the following results ; First, it was interesting to see that Korean and Japanese students had a positive outlook on seniors. Middle school and high school students in Japan showed higher marks than Korean students. This means students in Japan have more positive view, contrary to our expectation. Secondary, age of the students influence their perception in both countries. Junior high school students had more positive perception than senior high school students. The more they grow in there age, the more their perception became negative. It is because those in upper grades had less time to interact with the elderly. Their limited experience with elderly people is considered to be the cause of negative attitude. Thirdly, the students' interactions with grandparents influenced their perception on seniors. The result of the study will be used to suggest the reasonable direction for training programs to help students change their perceptions of seniors.

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