ブックタイトル平成28年度公開講座記録集

概要

平成28年度公開講座記録集

平成28年度 新潟県立大学 公開講座 新しいつながりのかたちを求めてFOSTER PARENTING IN JAPAN: SHEDDING SOME LIGHTMelodie CookOn December 3, 2016, Mr. Tashiro, director of theNiigata Central Welfare Advisory Center, Mr. Ito, afoster parent and Mrs. Igarashi, of the Igarashif o s t e r g r o u p h o m e , g a v e v e r y i n f o r m a t i v epresentations on how foster parenting has becomemore common in Japan and why, as well as sharingtheir personal experiences. In attendance were 119students and 14 members of the local community.I was very pleased that the members of the ChiikiRenkei Centre decided to have a presentation onthis topic, because as both an adoptive and fosterparent, I have found that there seems to be a lack ofgeneral information about both. This deficiency inknowledge results in misconceptions about fosterparents and foster children, but by providing suchinformation, we can help more Japanese peopleunderstand how children end up in foster care, andhow they can help them, or at least understandthem.In Canada, foster parenting and adoption arecommonplace. While a few of my friends havefostered children, many have adopted, especiallyfrom overseas. It is not uncommon to see childrenwho look different from their parents in myhometown. Some of my high school friends haveadopted girls from China, although both parents areCaucasian. Happily, their children are not the onlyones in their school who look unlike their parents.Many parents of children adopted from overseasconscientiously help their children maintain theirethnic identity by sending them to language schoolto maintain their heritage language while raisingthem in a Canadian context. That these children arenot treated differently from children being raised bytheir birth parents is a strength and it is my hopethat someday this situation will become morecommon in Japan.Mr. Tashiro mentioned many of the reasons whychildren end up in institutions or foster care.Unfortunately, child abuse and neglect are on therise in Japan. Because of differences in economicadvancement between females and males, manysingle mothers either neglect their children at homebecause they are working several low-paying jobs inorder to support their families or send their childrento institutions because they can’t afford to care forthem at all. Such families are unwilling to breakblood ties and want to keep their children in thefamily register, yet cannot raise them themselves.Foster families may be the answer to keepingchildren in a family environment.Mr. Ito and Mrs. Igarashi mentioned many of thechallenges of fostering children. One is that differentchildren respond differently to being placed in afoster-care situation. While some children thrive andgo on to college or university, others rebel againsttheir foster families and are less successful in lifethan they could be. In addition, institutionalizedchildren are more likely to have ADHD, anddevelopmental or learning disorders than otherchildren. However, with knowledge and supportfrom other foster parents, social workers, and thecommunity, these problems can be dealt withappropriately.T h e r e s p o n s e f r o m t h e a u d i e n c e w a soverwhelmingly positive and thoughtful. Studentsasked good questions to the panel and we wereespecially pleased, because almost all students inattendance are planning to become early childhoode d u c a t o r s i n t h e f u t u r e . W e h o p e t h a t t h i spresentation about fostering was enlightening andwill contribute to gradual but positive changes inJapanese society.University of NIIGATA PREFECTURE 14