Why do not foster carers increase in Japan?

日本で里親が増えない理由は？

Ｍｓ Kazuki Murata

（freelance writer in Japan)

フリーランス・ライター　村田和木

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I: Introduction

      Last December, I published a book called “Making a family”. The subtitle is “Way of life as foster parents”. I interviewed 23 foster families and wrote their experiences and opinions: why they become foster parents, how they feel about bringing up children who have no blood relationship and so on. I also wrote about experiences and opinions of foster children.

      Why did I want to write this book?  The reason is foster care is not very common in our society, although Japanese foster care has the long history. I wanted people to know necessity of foster care, because bringing up children safely and happily will mean making our future brightly.

II: History of Japanese foster care

      It is said that Japanese foster care began more than 1,500 years ago. However, until the mid-20th century Japanese foster care had two different purposes: one is adoption for heritage and other is for providing cheap or free workforce.

      After the defeat of World War �U in 1945, Japanese society changed drastically to be democratic and the new foster care system was established in the Child Welfare Law in 1948. It was useful to help a lot of war orphans.

      In those days Japanese people encountered serious house and food shortage, but more than 4,000 adults registered as foster parents. In 1949, 2,909 adults took care of 3,278 children who have no relationship.

      The new system developed smoothly until mid-1960’s. At its peak, nearly 20,000 people registered as foster parents and 8,500 people brought up 9,500 children. However, Japanese foster care began to decline steadily from the end of 1960’s.

      As Japan became rich, foster care came to be used as the way that sterile couples got a child.

Statistics: the number of children in Japanese foster care

　 1949    3,278 children brought by 2,909 foster parents; 4,153 registered

　 1959    8,986 children brought by 8,095 foster parents; 18,914 registered

　 1969    5,054 children brought by 4,428 foster parents; 14,916 registered

　 1979    3,277 children brought by 2,712 foster parents; 9,142 registered

　 1989    3,069 children brought by 2,472 foster parents; 7,841 registered

　 1999    2,122 children brought by 1,687 foster parents; 7,446 registered

      In 2004, there are 3,022 children living in 2,184 foster families. On the other hand, there are about 35,000 children in the institutions for infants (115 places) or children (554 places) now.

      Japanese child welfare has been too much inclined to institution care. This is the grave issue of Japanese child welfare.

III: New role of Japanese foster care.

      Why so many children have to separate from their own families?  The causes are always in the side of parents or custodians. For example: divorce, disappearance, debt, mental illness, child abuse, neglect or maltreatment and so on. Particularly, child abuse and neglect have become a big social problem from the mid 1990's.

      In 2000, Child Abuse Prevention Law (anti-abuse laws) was enforced. After the law took effect, the number of child abuse cases reported to local child consultation centers nationwide has increased skyrocketing year by year.

Statistics: The number of child abuse cases reported to the child consultation centers nationwide.

    1990 (fiscal year)  1,101 cases         1998 (fiscal year)　6,932 cases

    1991              1,171               1999              11,631

    1992              1,372               2000              17,725

    1993              1,611               2001              23,274

    1994              1,961               2002              23,738

    1995              2,722               2003              26,569

    1996              4,102               2004              33,408

    1997              5,352               2005              34,451

      By such sharp rise of child abuse cases, most institutions have been full up with children who were protected by child consultation centers.

      Therefore the government (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare) decided to make better use of foster care for abused children. Since their body and soul are deeply hurt, they need to live in a safe and peaceful “nest” with adults who take care of them kindly and patiently.

       So the government wants to increase the number of children who are in foster care. The government also wants to double them by 2009. However, in spite of the thoughts and efforts of the government, the number of foster parents (foster carers) has not swollen.

IV: Why do not foster carers increase in Japan?

      I would like to analyze the reasons of stagnation of Japanese foster care.

      From my point of view, there are six reasons:

 1 Japanese people do not have the conviction that children should be brought up at home, neither institutions nor nursing homes.

    Japanese people are also not interested in children who bringing up at institutions. Most of Japanese people may be indifferent to children of another family. Egocentricity may be a negative side of rich society. When Japan was poor, the people helped each other.

 2 In 1994, the government ratified Convention on the Rights of the Child, but its idea (especially Article 20) has not penetrated into our society.

    Some people confuse the rights of the child with selfishness, because they think children as “possession of parents”. Adults must respect children’s personality.

3  Foster care is still confused with adoption, and there is misunderstanding that a couple without children becomes foster parents (not “carer”).

    As a matter of fact, there are many sterile couples who want to get a child of their own using foster care. They just demand the child who can do adoption and don’t have much interest in child welfare.

4 We have the child consultation centers for child welfare, but they are not specialized in foster care.

5 Insufficiency of caseworkers. There are about 1,850 caseworkers nationwide and they belong to the child consultation centers as public servants.

      They are always hectic facing abused children cases. Their first priory is saving children by separating from their parents or custodians. After separation, more than 90% of protected children are sent into institutions.

      The caseworkers are not going to use foster carers, because they need to be helped by the caseworkers unlike the staff of institutions. The caseworkers don’t have much time of helping them.

6   Some institution managers have antagonism toward foster carers as business rivals.

      As mentioned above, Japanese foster care is in poor conditions at present, but we have to make progress for all children.

V: Solution?

      I would like to propose some ideas to develop Japanese foster care.

1 Raise more recognition of the Rights of the Child, especially Article 20.

2 The government should use more money for child welfare.

3 Increase caseworkers to 3 times and post many caseworkers or social workers for foster care.

4 Establish the specialized agencies of foster care.

5 Cooperation of foster carers and institutions is essential.

VI: Tips of Japan

 - Total population in Japan : 127,720,000 persons (as at 1^st of April, 2006)

 - Population of 0~19 years old : 23,940,000 persons (as at 1^st of April, 2006)

 - Birth rate (Average number of births per woman) : 1.25 in 2005