No. 20 Development Support Center started

(Published in the June 15, 2013 issue of Public Relations Inagi)

　The inauguration ceremony was held at Friend Hirao on May 12, 2013, and we would like to express our gratitude to the many people involved.
The operations of the Developmental Support Center are entrusted to the Social Welfare Corporation Seiyu no Kai. At the inauguration ceremony, Dr. Hironobu Ichikawa, the president of the organization and a specialist in child psychiatry, explained the purpose of the organization and spoke about its future aspirations. The nickname was decided to be ``Lespoir Inagi,'' but it is said that it comes from the French word lespoir, which means hope.
I listed the establishment of a support center for people with developmental disabilities as one of the important issues in my recent election manifesto. This is because when I worked as a city employee in the welfare department for people with disabilities, I became acutely aware of the need for continuous support that corresponds to each stage of life in the community, from infancy to school age to employment.
In general, the point of contact for consultation and support changes as the child grows: the health department during childhood, the education department during school age, and the welfare department after graduation. However, developmental problems may be noticed in infancy, or after the child enters school or enters society. Therefore, it is necessary for the same organization to provide continued support to the person and his or her family, regardless of age.
Traditionally, the Welfare Department has provided on-campus counseling centering on nursery schools, and the Education Department has provided counseling before children go to elementary school and after they enter elementary school. However, it is also true that there are many negative effects of the vertical division of government between these departments, and that useful information is not shared.
In order to solve these problems and overcome the barriers of welfare and education, we did not simply open a developmental support center, but instead created a system to deepen cooperation with the school attendance counseling department. This means placing the Developmental Support Center staff in a place where they can see each other's faces, with desks lined up with the school counseling staff in the same office.
In the future, we will strive to resolve concerns about development by cooperating with welfare and education, and to create a project that provides consideration and support tailored to each individual.Please feel free to contact us and use our services. Masu.