Research Report for Cycle 2
Research Report for Cycle 2
I have two point why I choised this thema. First, when I was elementary school student, I watched a drama about children in institution. Then I noticed there ware many problems. For example relationship, job hunting, adoption and so on. Second, I focused on LGBT issues in Research Cycle 1. Then I thought "How can we create a society that everyone can be easy to live?". So I want to think about various social system especially in Japan. I remembered that problem. I decided to focus on children in institution. While investigationg, I found that the rate of foster care consignment is low in Japan. On the other hand, the number of children in institutions are very large. I was interested in the foster care placement rate is noticeably lower than in other countries. In addition, I was also interested in whethere the foster parents system is adapting to diversity from Research Cycle 1.
I think we need to recognize the large number of children who come to the Child Guidance Center（児童相談所）. It is important to know that minorities exist. But it is not interested in this problem for Japanese people. We should know how the foster parents system works.
In this research, I want to focus on foster parents system, current condition, importance and diversity. Especialy, I focus on whether same-sex couples become foster parents in Japan, where same-sex marriage is not recognized? In my researching, I found that there are many children who want to help from adults. In addition, children have many individuality.
What is the difference between foster parents and adoption?
Can same-sex couples be foster parents?
Who is the foster care system for? （The need to diversify the foster parrents system）
Temporary children care system. The decision rights have the birth parents, because the parental rights are held by the birth parents. The foster care alloeance is paid from locel government.
It is a system that establishes parent-child relationships based on civil law. Parental authority is adoptive parents. The governance support is not paid.
There are more than 45000 children who come to the Child Guidance Center. 15% are placed in foster care. The foster parents system offers a wide variety of options. However, sometimes a child cannot be saved on the grounds that the biological parent has too much authority. （90% of the children who come to the Child Guidance Center suffer from abuse.）
←Description of Current Status
Under the low, same-sex couples are allowed to be foster parents. However there are original criteria for certification as a foster parent in local government. In addiotion, many people also believe that they are not legally allowed to become foster parents in Japan due to the lack of recongnition of same-sex marriage and lack of interest in foster care. So I think that we need to recognize that the foster care system is diverse. Along with that, we must not forget that the children are diverse, as well as the foster parents.
Osaka City certified a gay couple living in the sity as foster parents. In September 2016, a gay couple in their 30s and 40s living in the city applied to the Child Guidance Center to become foster parents. An Osaka City official said, "There is no provision in Osaka City regarding gender in the requirements to become a foster parent. Any type of family can become a foster parent as long as they are loving, physically and mentally healthy, and financially stable." A gay couple who became foster parents said, "We are glad that we became foster parents as a family and not as individuals. The foster parent system is one that 'assumes the role of nurturing children. It is a child-centered system that provides a 'nurturing home' for the child, not a system for adults who 'want a child.'"
I learned that the foster parents sysytem is for children.
If they have love and financial resources, they can become a foster parent.（Gender does not matter）
There are few cases of same-sex couples being approved as foster parents.
I think we need for communities to connect foster parents with children in need of support.
"Rainbow Foster Care" is as a link between LGBT and children in need of social support. They provide from the perspective of both foster parents and children. They are undertaking a variety of initiatiives to help them achieve this role. For example, training, event, research, survey,政策提言 and so on. In result, they can make diverse adults diverse children and diverse family.
p1:She is Megumi Fuji, Representative of Rainbow Foster care.
p2:This organization's mission.
I learned that we need to know system of foster parents and same-sex couples can be foster parents. In addition, the foster care sysytem is for children, not for adults. Before I started researching, I thought that this system makes LGBT people happy and easy to live. However, when I noticed story of toujisya in Osaka City, I changed my opinion. This system is for children. Foster care sysytem is a system to increase children's options. Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Japan. However, foster parenting for same-sex couples is allowed in some areas. Compared to other countries, this is a little strange. However, if it becomes common knowledge that same-sex couples can raise children by allowing foster parents, same-sex marriages may be recognized. We thought that allowing same-sex couples to foster children would be such a possibility. Through Research Cycle 1 and Research Cycle 2, we learned the importance of the environment from childhood. I began my research with the LGBT, a minority in the sexual Research Cycle 2 made me realize that children who need social support are also minorities. I also felt that it was necessary to clarify who the system (foster parents) was for. I am interested in LGBT, but I am also interested in systems that guarantee the rights of children. Especially, I am interested in forced labor for children.