Though human rights are recognized as a very important concept in studies relating to social welfare in Japan, they have not been theorized or systematized sufficiently by scholars. This study tries to clarify the characteristics and position of human rights in studies relating to social welfare. This is referred to as “human rights as ideals”. The overall direction of human rights relating to social welfare can be recognized from the study as pursuing and changing “human rights as ideals of well-being” in harmony with the “general sense of human rights in Japan.”

This research examines the views of public assistance recipients with children in order to (1) analyze how caretakers interpret the concept of “independence, ” and (2) attempt to provide an explanation for why recipients have adopted their particular understanding of the term. This paper presents the analytical findings from interview surveys with 16 caretakers (14 families) receiving public assistance from Welfare Office B of City A in the Greater Tokyo Area. The analysis led to the following conclusions: (1) recipient caretakers did not feel they had a right to public assistance; as a result of subjection to the denigrating gaze directed at recipients, they interpreted the use of public assistance as a state of “dependency” and deemed it therefore “undesirable.” As such, (2) caretakers not only demonstrated an understanding of “independence” as a state of financial self-support (i.e. the cessation of public assistance), but also situated financial independence as “desirable” and a personal “goal.”

The Disability Welfare Pension, a benefit for people with disabilities from a young age, was integrated into the Basic Disability Pension in 1985. As a result, the same amount of disability pension was provided for contributory and noncontributory recipients. This increase of the Disability Welfare Pension was carried out when there was an aggressive governmental administrative reform in progress to reduce fiscal spending. This paper studied the journals of the Tokyo Branch of the Aoishibano-Kai (an organization devoted to helping persons with cerebral palsy), interviews with the activist Kiyoharu Shiraisi, a person with cerebral palsy, the Diet Record, and Shinichiro Yamaguchi‘s autobiography as the Director of the Pension Section. From this search it was found that: (1) the requests of the study group and the welfare organizations for the disabled led to the formulation of plans for disabled persons that included improvement of a secured income them;( 2) the flexible response of the disability organizations made it possible to create a secure income policy together; (3) Shinichiro Yamaguchi, the Director of the Pension Section at the time, made a particular contribution; and( 4) persons with cerebral palsy, who lived away from home and did not live in institutions made persuasive arguments for the new system. Behind the birth of the new secure income system which moved beyond the principle of insurance, there was a powerful movement of welfare organizations for the disabled and administrative bureaucrats during the International Year of Disabled Persons.

The purpose of this study was to construct a conceptual framework of elderly abuse that can sort levels of abusive behavior and clarify the concept of abuse. Components of abuse were added to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model and the applicability of the framework was examined through case analysis. As a result, three levels of elderly abuse were confirmed, “elderly abuse”, “quasi-abuse” and “inappropriate care”, by applying the combination of each component of the conceptual framework of abuse. Conceptual differences about the three levels were also identified. To prevent elderly abuse and to support life with dignity for the elderly, the following items should be satisfied: (1) understanding the levels and characteristics of abusive behavior;and (2) providing support in accordance with each type of abusive behavior.

This study aimed at obtaining a guiding principle for the prevention of suicide of the elderly. It also aimed at clarifying the relationship between daily life stress and suicidal ideation among the elderly in both Japan and Korea. A survey was conducted among the following participants: 1) people aged 65 and above, living at home, who belonged to one of three organizations in City A of Japan;and 2) people aged 65 and above, living at home, who used community welfare centers and community welfare centers for the elderly in City B of Korea. The survey questions inquired about each participant’s characteristics, their daily life stress, and their suicidal ideation. The data of 208 Japanese participants and 316 Korean participants were used in an examination by the casual model. The model used structural equation modeling to show the influence of daily life stress on the suicidal ideation among the elderly. The results showed that the casual model performed well giving CFI=0.968 and the RMSEA=0.048 for Japanese participants and CFI=0.963 and RMSEA=0.053 for Korean participants. These values confirmed that the daily life stress of the elderly was significantly associated with their suicidal ideation and therefore it is necessary to consider the two factors when preventing suicide of the elderly.

The aim of this study was to ascertain the process by which certified social workers at local comprehensive support centers provide support to elderly persons with dementia. Interviews were conducted with nine certified social workers, and transcripts were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Results revealed that advocating for elderly persons with dementia occurred in phases. The pre-advocacy phase is focused on divining client intent and deciding the timing and circumstances of client advocacy to better advocate for the client. This phase leads to the advocacy phase, wherein the social worker advocates for the client’s intent. In some instances, however, advocacy is temporarily halted because of circumstances. Following the advocacy phase is the post-advocacy phase, which is focused on taking a closer look at the situation after advocating for the client and continued interaction with the client. Active client advocacy by a certified social worker lays at the heart of each phase. Even though a round of advocating for an elderly client with dementia may end, the progression of dementia and the passage of time might occasion a new round of advocacy at a future point. This means that continued efforts during the pre-advocacy phase are crucial.

This study was aimed at investigating the effect of support by Home-Start on client satisfaction. In the study, the differences in the support contents and features of individual home-visiting were investigated in comparison with paid support. To achieve the objectives, a questionnaire survey was conducted for paid support clients and Home-Start clients. We received responses from 78 paid support clients and 112 Home-Start clients. Regression analysis results suggested:(1) In home-visiting by non-specialists, attentive listening skills were important for the support. (2) Attentive listening skills and cooperation were more frequently used (especially with a high frequency of cooperation) to support the clients in Home-Start than in paid support. Those activities properly responded to the clients’ needs because they contributed to the client satisfaction. That is to say, gaining client satisfaction without causing a financial burden or spending too much time, as well as carrying out housework and childcare activities together, is the main strength of the Home-Start support. It has been suggested in previous studies that this strength is the product of the attentive listening skills and cooperation and the present results confirm this.

In this paper, the importance of a relationship for development of communitybased welfare is discussed by analyzing a case study of practices in a semi-mountainous area. At region A in Kimino Town, which is a semi-mountainous area, the life support system for residents is constructed by activities of various actors. Many actors from outside this area are involved in these activities. The relationship can be considered as a renewed one differing from the long-established relationship with its closed nature and maintainability. The analysis reveals that the outward relationship with openness and innovativeness is useful to solve regional issues which is one goal for community-based welfare activities as well as the inward network.

The ‘Intermediate Labour Market’ (ILM) programme has advantages both in rate of employment and retention. Information on the ILM’s position and implemenation in the New Deal is scarce. The House of Commons Select Committee in the UK provides useful primary source information on the ILM’s position in the New Deal and its changing processes. At the beginning of the New Deal, the ILM was potentially built into New Deal programmes. However, gradually as the New Deal progressed, the UK government made fewer evaluations on the ILM’s demand-side. In 1999, the government began to display a degree of ambivalence toward the ILM programme. In time, ILM implementation faded away with economic recovery. However, after Lehman’s fall, the need for the ILM was discussed again and policies for creating jobs such as ‘The Future Jobs Fund’ programme were implemented from 2009 to 2010. The ILM programme provides a good practical model for intermediate level jobs in Japan.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among people with neurodevelopmental disorders, their caregivers and community residents after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. An interview survey was conducted of 22 caregivers (mothers) who had been living in prefecture A that was seriously affected by this disaster. As a result of classifying all the contents of the interviews, some categories were established. (1) Children’s physical and psychological changes or aggravation of their symptoms had 9 categories (e.g. severe anxiety, hyper sensitivity, tantrums). (2) Caregivers’ cognition had 4 categories (e.g. attribution changes of their children after this disaster to characteristics of neurodevelopmental disorders) and caregivers’ affection to their children had 5 categories (e.g. sense of burden). (3) Community residents understanding of persons with a disability had 4 categories (e.g. positive attitude to the disability) and their supporting had 4 categories (e.g. instrumental support). Then, Hayashi’s quantification methods Ⅲ were conducted, and it was assumed that the interaction between the persons with neurodevelopmental disorders, their caregivers and community residents had occurred during their time when they were evacuated from their homes. Therefore, it is important to not only promote community residents understanding after a disaster but also to construct a good relationship with them on a day-to-day basis.