SHISEI GAKUEN - CHILDREN'S HOME
We began serving children in 1912. Mr. Kyoichiro Inenaga, the founder of by Salvation Army. He incorporated the agency as the Zaidan Hojin Shisei
Gakusha in 1925. He accepted juveniles from the juvenile courts, probation,
& parole services. This essential program was carried out for thirty-seven years
until the Juvenile Law was amended and the child Welfare Law was newly enacted
in 1947. Tokyo. Due to the necessity of foster care services for these
children, Shisei Gakuen Children's Home was converted into a home for them. For
45 years, the objectives of Shisei Gakuen Children' s Home was kept to
the original mission. adequately meet the needs of the
society, because we have experienced social problems with the evolution of
changes in the society. Staffs at Shisei Gakuen
Children's home are
Shisei-Gakusha took care of several juveniles from emergency shelters that was
run
After World War II, there were many
orphans resulting from the bombing in
Today, children's home faces the
question, which is whether we are able to
The purpose of Children's Home is, as started in the Child Welfare Law, to provide
residential care services to dependent children such as orphans, who are abandoned,
abused, and those who were deprived of parental care.
We provide services to prevent parents and their children who are at risk of family
dysfunction in the community from being separated. For this purpose, we have
endeavored to achieve the following goals under our mission,
`Bright, Honest, and Healthy`;
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Provide residential care for the children & youth at the home under condition
best suit their complete readjustment to normal social lives
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Provide counseling and other therapeutic services to families as necessary.
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Assist children in developing self-discipline both individually and in group
to encourage their self-effort and better skill by performing living skills
Facilities
&
staff
We care for fifty-two children at the main-campus and eighteen children at three
group homes.
In main-campus, children live in four units. At each unit, thirteen children ages from
two to eighteen live together. Five workers; one male and four female workers
including cook are working in a unit.
At group homes, there are two full-time workers and several part-time workers who
are taking care of children. Some of older children have their own rooms, and staff
cook three meals. Ages of children are older than those who live at main-campus,
between eight to eighteen. At group homes, most children have their own rooms.
We also have counseling rooms, work center for mentally retarded, and social
work
research center.
Main campus is surrounded by fruitful nature. There is a river behind of the campus.
We have playground at main-campus, with owls and dogs. We have day care center
on the campus and children younger than six would go to the day care center for five
days a week.
Almost all cases relating to child maltreatment, parents' inability to care their children,
and other families' dysfunctional problems are referred to Child Guidance Center, a
public agency located in each city and district. Child guidance center has a right to
make decision weather the child need to be institutionalized or other optional care.
If Children's home receive the referral from Child Guidance Center, staff at
Children's Home meet the child and then coordinate to accept the child.
Reason of placement varies. Major reasons include mother's death, mother's
running
away, parents' divorce, parents suffering mental illness and alcoholism.
Recently, maltreatment by parents became one of the major reasons. It is thought that various aspects of changes in family value and living style contributed to the increase
of the number of child maltreatment by parents.
Programs
& services
Our policy is to provide care to the children who have experienced various hardships
in their families and have been placed in children's home. We support children obtain
basic living skills according to their developmental stages. We assist them in leaning
rules of living in-group as well as interpersonal skills. We try to help them get
socialized so that they can live with sound mind and body in a nurtured environment. Children play various games throughout the year, including playing baseball, soccer, bicycle, rope skipping, playing outside by sand, and so on.
Children also enjoy playing card, TV game, watching video, and reading books.
Since we value self-determination in their lives, children involve the management of children's Home by organizing student committee. Children older than 10 years old participate in this group every second week, & discuss rules, cleaning campus, &
about other events.
Daily program is as follows:
6:00
wake up
6:30
excises
7:00
breakfast
7:45 - 8:15
go to school
8:45 - 9:00
children younger than six go to day care center
9:15
staff meeting
12:00
lunch
1:30 -
2:00 children younger than six come back to home
3:00
snack
3:30 -
5:00 (4:30 in winter) doing home work, playing outside
5:00 -
6:00 taking bath
6:00 -
7:00 dinner
7:00 -
8:00 free time
8:00
children go to bed
older children take bath, watch TV, and do homework
9:15
overnight staff meeting
11:00-12:00
older children go to bed
There are various groups that children are involved in addition to the clubs at
school.
We have baseball team, volleyball team, and dodge ball team. Also, children learn Japanese dance, modern dance, and art from volunteer instructors. In the weekly
basis, children participate in these classes.
Children's health is primarily based on directing children's living style and providing balanced meal. When we consider children's life prior to placement, we try to support
them have a sound life style and promote their physical health and emotions. In order
to maintain their health, we first understand children's health conditions by the following ways:
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Fill out details of each child's history in health check sheet
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Check children's health at morning and bedtime to find children's sick
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Make sure that children are taking care of themselves appropriately, such
as washing faces, cutting nails, and cleaning ears -
Maintain safe and clean environment
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Educate staff about weight-control
-
Learn about nutrition of food
Periodical
physical Examination and medical care
School-age children take periodical health examinations and immunizations at
their
schools. We cooperate with school to keep children's health. Preschoolers take
physical examinations twice a year, and also take immunizations that are required according to their developmental stage. When a child needs medical care, childcare
worker takes the child to hospital in the community. The Tokyo government subsidizes
all cost for those medical cares. If the child is required hospitalization, we inform the
child's parents.
In order for children at Children's home to acquire age-appropriate academic skills
and knowledge, we guide children by tutoring. There are following facilities and
services we have on-campus;
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Computer - study program:
These computer system leads children learn mathematics and Japaneseaccording to their academic levels. This facility is at the library.
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Tutoring services for elementary School age children:
Children are scheduled study time to do their homework after coming backfrom school. Children who needs / wants individual tutoring services are
assigned college student volunteers as tutors. They are big help for children to
catch up with study at school. Those volunteer students are valuable also as
good advisors and friends of children. High school age children need extra
study in order to get admission for college.
Most children who were maltreated or need support of welfare usually institutionalized. Using foster care and adoptive service is not a primary option for children because of
strong value on blood connection in families, which is one of Japanese cultural value.
The center for foster care and adoptive services in Shisei Gakuen Children's Home was established in 1973. There are two fulltime staffs who are in charge of doing all
procedure of foster care and adoptive services. They select families, run sessions for becoming foster/adoptive families, and decide foster/adoptive families after completing registration. They also provide follow-up services for foster/adoptive families. In Tokyo,
we have ten Foster care/adoption service centers, and one of them is in our agency.
Each center is allocated a certain area in Tokyo, and centers are supporting children
who are institutionalized and families who are willing to take care of them. Recently,
the number of families who are willing to become foster/adoptive families is decreasing although the number of children who are institutionalized. We are trying to increase
the number of families by advocacy and other effort such as using media.
We have vocational training program for children who are going to leave children's
home for them to have sufficient living skills. The goals of this program are for them to obtain the skills to live independently, to find job and keep it, and to master the skill to control their emotion.
When high school age children complete their school, children need to leave children's home. This is challenge for children who have not had experience of living by
themselves. We provide after -care service for these children. Services include the followings; Visiting their workplaces. Support their interpersonal relationships by consultation, build good relationships with employers by sending information about
agency, inviting events at children's home, and sending newsletter. For children who
go to college, we support them get scholarship. For children who go back to their
families, we refer other services including health care service agencies, & counseling services.
Emergency foster care/day foster care services
We agency accepts children of single parents for few weeks when they are unable to
take care of their children in various reasons. We also accept children of single-parents
only after school. This service is called 'twilight stay.'
Children ages from two to five go to day care center located in children's home. This
center accepts children in the community and builds relationship with children who
live in children's home. This day care center adopts Montessori educational system.
Under this educational system, children experience various activities and thus learn communication skills and mobile skills. Children also develop language, art, and craft.
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After-school program
We have a center called Children's center. This center is opened after school. -
Any children can visit there and enjoy craft and drawing.
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Counseling services
We have hotline service to support families in the community. This is a 24 hours service wit free of charge. Staffs at Children's home and other professionals are providing counseling service for families. -
Training
Staff training:
We provide staff training periodically. Topics of session include psychologicalissue, child development, health care, and so on. We invite professionals of
from various fields, as we need.
Training session for parenting:
To respond the need of the community, we also provide training session ofparenting.
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Garden Party
One of the major events is Garden Party in May. This event aims to communicatewith people in the community as well as for fund development. We have food
court, music performance, stunts, and flee market.
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Boy scout/Girl scout
We have Boy Scout and Girl Scout program for children both for children atChildren's Home and children in the community. Boy Scout began in 1967. Girl Scout began in 1986.
Throughout a year, children are involved in various events. One of the main events is
a Garden Party hold in May. At garden Party, We have food court, music, stunts, and
flee market. This event is important not only for people to enjoy, but also for the
community to open the facilities, and fund development.
In addition to these events, we have seasonal events such as celebration of New Year's
day, Children's day, Mother's day, and Christmas. Children participate in sport games
with children who are placed in residential facilities in Tokyo.
Children's parents are required to pay the cost when their children are admitted to the institution. We apply sliding scale. In addition, we receive support from the Japanese government and Tokyo Government. In terms of the cost for building maintenance
cost, we receive support both from Japanese government and Tokyo government.
Since this agency is non-profit private agency, We need to expand the agencies that
are willing to support
us. In addition to the support, we are receiving donation in both in-kind
and in money from various companies. Major grocery stores, media-related
companies supports our program, and U.S. base located near Children's Home.
In 1999, Tokyo government cut the support for child welfare institutions by 10%, and this made more difficult for children's home to keep the sufficient quality of service.
To keep the quality, we are trying to develop fund management program.
We have many volunteer staff in various fields. Daily programs that volunteer staff is involved include art, dance, playing outside, camps. Especially, older children get support in their study by college student volunteers.
SHISEI GAKUEN CHILDREN'S HOME
6-26-15 Nishiki-Cho
Tachikawa - Shi Tokyo
190-0022 JAPAN
Phone (042) 524-2601
Fax (042) 524-2367
E-mail : shisei-gaku@mwa.biglobe.ne.jp
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