Chapter 3 Welfare Services for Children with Special Needs

Welfare policies for children with disabilities are implemented by prefectures and municipalities in accordance with central government statutes. A large number of professionals and organizations/agencies are also involved in the process. The chart below illustrates how the system is organized.

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Table of contents

2. Institutions for Welfare and Health Services
3. Welfare Services to Facilitate Everyday Activities
4. Institutional Services

2. Institutions for Welfare and Health Services

1. PublicHealthCenter

PublicHealthCenter for rehabilitation guidance seeks to identify children with disabilities as early as possible and take steps to minimize the disability through regular consultations and guidance by an orthopedic surgeon or other medical specialists.

2. Child Guidance Center

Child Guidance Center provides consultations services and appropriate guidance by specialists on all issues concerning children. Children with disabilities can undergo an assessment by a doctor, psychologist, or other specialist and institutionalize at appropriate welfare facilities, such as facilities for children with physical disabilities, facilities for children with visual, hearing and speech disabilities.

3. Welfare Office

Welfare Office provides consultations on and accept applications for prosthesis and orthosis, technical aids and equipments for daily activities, and other goods.

3. Welfare Services to Facilitate Everyday Activities

1. Rehabilitation consultations and guidance

Consultations on all matters relating to medical treatment, enrollment in welfare facility, prosthesis and orthosis, and other such issues.

2. Provision of rehabilitation and medical treatment

Medical treatment for children with disabilities who have a good chance of being cured or becoming less impaired in a relatively short period of time.

3. Provision and repairment of prosthesis and orthosis

Prosthesis and orthosis are supplied and repaired for children who possess a Certificate of Persons with Physical Disability to compensate their physical disability. Types of prosthesis and orthosis:

Prosthesis, orthosis, sitting-position-keeping device, canes for the blind, artificial eyes, spectacles, Brailler, hearing aids, artificial larynxes, wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs, standing-position-keeping device, walker(standing frames for walking), helmet, head supports, toilet supports, urine collecting device, device for stoma, and crutches.

4. Home help services

Home helpers provide the services of bathing, toileting, offering meal, and other daily activities for children with disabilities, who have difficulties for daily living.

5. Provision of technical aids and equipments of daily living

The following technical aids and equipments are provided to children with severe disabilities to facilitate their daily activities and support early intervention services:

Bathtub and water heating equipment, toilet facility, special type mat, personal computer, training chair, tape recorder, special type toilet facility, bathing stretcher, Braille typewriter, talking calculator for the blind, talking thermometer for the blind, training bed, automatic fire extinguisher, fire alarms, Braille book, posture-change device, dialytic liquid heater, special type urinal, helmet, Communication device for the deaf children, cell phone products, portable signal aid to lengthen crossing times at traffic lights, adaptive communication device for persons with severe disabilities, closed circuit television (CCTV), optical character reader (OCR), decoder for receiving broadcasts by Communication Satellite(CS) for persons with hearing impairments, assistive equipment for bathing, magnetcooker, lift for mobility, assistive devices for walking, nebulizers, electric phlegm suction machines, and devices that assist mobility in the home.

6. Provision of special child rearing allowance

An allowance is given to the parent or custodian of a child with psychiatric disability (including intellectual disability) or physical disability.

Amount per child, per month Grade one: 50,900 yen Grade two: 33,900 yen

7. Child welfare allowance

An allowance is given to the parent or custodian of a child under the age of 20 who lives at home and needs special care because of severe disabilities.

Amount per child, per month14,430 yen

8. System for benefit for rearing of persons with both intellectual and physical disabilities

A life annuity is paid to persons with disabilities after their parent or custodian dies, when the parent or custodian made monthly contributions to the program while they were alive.

Annuity: 20,000 yen or 40,000 yen, depending on the size of the contribution

9. Day services

Training is provided at facilities for children with physical disabilities, facilities for children with intellectual disabilities and other institutions to guide them with daily activities and help them adapt to group situations.

10. Short stay programs

Children with disabilities can stay at facilities for children with physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities or other institution and receive necessary support services on a short-term basis, when their parents fall ill or cannot take care of them for another reason.

11. Day care programs for children/adults with both severe intellectual and physical disabilities

Early intervention services, including rehabilitation guidance and instruction on daily living activities, physical therapy, and other types of therapies, are provided to children with both severe intellectual and physical disabilities.

12. Medical treatment and research programs for designated infantile chronic diseases

Research is being undertaken and the medical fees are covered for 10 chronic children’s diseases, including childhood cancer and chronic kidney disease.

13. Community early intervention services for children and adults

Programs to provide guidance and rehabilitation services to support their life in their own community.

4. Institutional Services

Children with disabilities who need treatment, protection, or guidance over a relatively long period of time can enroll in programs and live at welfare facilities for children and receive appropriate medical services.

a. Facilities for children with intellectual disabilities	Children with intellectual disabilities can enroll and live in one of these facilities and receive protection, education, and instruction in the skills necessary for living independently in the future.
b. Facilities for autistic children	Autistic children whose main disability is autism can enroll and live in one of these facilities and receive protection, medical care, and therapy.
c. Non-residential facilities for children with intellectual disabilities	Children with intellectual disabilities receive protection, education, and training in skills necessary for living independently in the future. Children commute to the facilities from their home everyday.
d. Facilities for children with visual impairments	Children who are blind and have severe low vision can enroll and live in one of these facilities and receive protection and instruction in the skills necessary for living independently in the future.
e. Facilities for children with hearing impairments	Children with speech impairments, including those with severe hard of hearing, can enroll and live in one of these facilities and receive protection ad instruction in the skills necessary for living independently in the future.
f. Non-residential facilities for children with hard of hearing	Children and infants with severe hard of hearing can commute from their home to one of these facilities and receive guidance and training.
g. Facilities for children with orthopedic disabilities	Children with orthopedic disabilities can receive medical treatment and instruction in the skills for living independently in the future.
h. Non-residential facilities for children with orthopedic disabilities	Children who can make sufficient progress through the programs can commute from their home to one of these facilities where they receive the necessary early intervention services.
j. Nursing care home for children with orthopedic disabilities	Children with mobility impairments who do not need to be hospitalized but have difficulty to be raised at home can live at one of these facilities.
k. Facilities for children with both severe intellectual and physical disabilities and the Special Ward at National Sanatorium	Children who have both severe intellectual and physical disabilities can become residents of one of these facilities and receive protection, medical care, and supervision over their daily activities.
l. Short-term facilities for children with emotional disturbances	Children with mild emotional disturbances can become residents of these facilities for short periods of time or commute from their home to attend day programs aimed at helping them deal with their emotional problems.
m. The Special Ward at National Sanatorium for children with progressive muscular atrophy	Children with progressive muscular atrophy can be hospitalized and receive medical treatment, instruction, and training geared at living independently.