Isolation of Children Who Leave Social Care Facilities

On the basis of the results of a qualitative study in a children’s self-reliance support facility, this presentation will discuss the reason why children, who leave social care facilities, become isolated. In Japan, the social exclusion of children who are, or were, placed in these facilities has been a pressing topic. However, the relationship between the purpose of social care and the lives of the children who leave these facilities has not been sufficiently discussed.

 The study was conducted in a children’s self-reliance support facility (called “Z” in this presentation) from May 2012 to June 2013. Beginning in September 2012, I conducted semi-structured formal interviews with twelve staff members. Each staff member was interviewed once or twice, and each interview lasted for 45-110min.

 The results reveal the following: First, even children who overcome a particular issue while living in the facility may regress to their previous behaviors depending on the environment in which they live after leaving the facility. Second, children, particularly those who serve their time and leave the facility, are often compelled to choose between returning to their families and living independently. This problem is caused by a severe shortage of institutions that provide aftercare to children who leave such a self-reliance support facility. Third, although all staff members want children to depend on them when they confront difficulties after they leave the facility, in some cases, the children are sometimes reluctant to do so.

 On the basis of the above results, I will discuss the dysfunction of self-reliance as a social norm.