• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.67-74
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• 2019

Purpose: In 2012, the Child Welfare Act was revised to provide better support to children with severe disabilities in Japan. Previously, inpatient facilities had been classified according to the type of disabilities of patients. After the revision of the Act, however, these facilities were assigned into the category of "medical-type facilities for children with disabilities", or "welfare-type facilities for children with disabilities." The focus of the study is to evaluate the reorganization of the Child Welfare Act and to analyze the new layout of Center K after its transition from a facility for children with motional disabilities to a medical-type facility for children with disabilities. Methods: A literature review was conducted to identify the trend in the treatment for persons with disabilities and the process of policy making in Japan. Field research was performed twice in 2015 and 2016, before and after the renovation of the Center K facilities depending upon the revision of the Child Welfare Act. Results: There is an increasing tendency of the population of persons with disabilities in Japan, and the severity level of disability of children with disabilities. In the case of Center K, two types of ward constructed to meet the two types of disability has been reconstructed into three types of unit following the various severity level of disability. Implications: As a result, it could be argued that it is also necessary in Korea to reorganize the facilities for persons with disabilities to deal with the fact that the population of persons with disabilities in Korea has been growing and their degree of disabilities also getting severe.

• Korean Journal of Comparative Education
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.285-310
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• 2017

This study reviews recent changes in parenting support policy in Japan, and examines the roles and functions of day-nursery as the base for parenting support in the local community. The purpose of this study is to provide implications for the direction of the parenting support policy and child-care facilities for the local communities in South Korea. The analysis concentrates on the official national reports such as the Declining Birthrate White Paper and Japan's National Guidelines for Care and Education at Day Nursery by the Japanese Cabinet Office. The study finds that the Japanese government has introduced comprehensive medium and long-term policies for all the members of the community with recognizing the changes in the domestic and foreign child-rearing environments and social needs. These policies have also helped to improve the social awareness of parenting. The role of the day-care center has been raised as a significant part of the support for child-rearing in the local community due to the revision of the Child Welfare Act for nursery school teachers in 2001 and the official announcement of Japan's National Guidelines for Care and Education at Day Nursery in 2008. The study also concludes that the social responsibility of the nursery center has been strengthened by being utilized as a public resource for the community. From the findings, we can elicit the conclusions and implications that the roles and functions of child care centers as a significant base for parenting support in the local communities need to be considered. We also listen to the voices of stakeholders such as parents and staff of child care centers. Last but not least, we would understand the social role and importance of bringing up children by cooperation of the community members, and promote the role of child care centers as a central place providing and communicating information on child-rearing in the local communities.