Child Guidance Centres in Japan: Alternative Care, Social Work, and the Family

In Contemporary Japan, 85% Of Children In Alternative Care Remain Housed In Large Welfare Institutions, As Opposed To Family-based Foster Care. This Publication Examines How Japan Has Been Isolated From Global Discourse On Alternative Care, Urging A Shift In Social Work And Alternative Care Policies. As The First Ethnographic Account From Inside Child Guidance Centres, It Makes A Key Contribution Towards Understanding The Closed World Of Japan’s Social Services; Including The Decision-making Processes By Which A Child Is Removed From The Family And Placed Into Care. In Addition, Regional Variation In Policy Implementation For Alternative Care Is Outlined, With Reference To Detailed Case Studies And A Discussion Around Organisational Cultures Of The Child Guidance Centres. Where Foster Care Is Constructed As Anything Other Than Professional, It Is Often Seen As A Threat To The Child’s Family-bond With Their Natal Parent And Therefore Not Used. Child Guidance Centres In Japan Destabilises This Construction Of The Family-bond As Singular And Discrete, Highlighting New Practices In Alternative Care. Child Guidance Centres In Japan: Alternative Care And The Family Will Be A Vital Resource For Students, Scholars Of Social Work And Japanese Studies, As Well As Practitioners And Lobbyists Involved In Alternative Care.