Project for Creating a Safe Placefor Children
Arakawa Ward

Backgroundorder to overcome the poverty.

Arakawa Ward (hereinafter referred to as the Ward),“The Project for Creating Children’s Safe Place”

since the appointment of Mr. Nishikawa as Mayor ofbroadly addresses each risk item caused by poverty

Arakawa Ward in 2004, has been planning and im-and social extinction, the determinants, and the fac-plementing various projects, adopting the concept thattors. It is being carried out as a project linked to the“Municipal government is a system for making citizens

Arakawa System, and little by little is starting to bearhappy”. In particular, the problem of “child poverty andfruit.

social exclusion” is depriving children, who will build
our future, of healthy growth and even their hope for

Purpose of Project

tomorrow and the future. For this reason, the Ward

This project provides children who need various types

established the “Research Committee on Child Pov-of support, including socially withdrawn children anderty” in May 2009, pushed ahead with its research onbullied children as well as children from families living

poverty eradication along with the Research Institutein poverty, single-parent families, or families wherefor Local Government by Arakawa Ward (RILAC) andchild abuse happens, with food aid, learning support

published the final report on this research in Augustand relaxation, in order to create a safe place for them2011.

in the community and to assist them multilaterally from

Based on 42 research case studies, the report identifies “risks” and “determinants” in families associatedwith child poverty and social exclusion. The risks include 1) unstable family income, 2) heavy burden ofmaking a living, 3) disease, 4) family relationships, 5)
isolation, and 6) the poverty cycle. The determinants

their home life to their school life. This project is intended to promote the healthy upbringing of children
in their mind and body as well as their learning ability,
and to serve as a safety net to protect them from thevicious cycle of poverty and from other problems thatsurround them.

include 1) parental employment, 2) parental ability toraise children, and 3) support for families. The report
also explains that factors of child poverty and social
extinction are 1) poor academic ability, 2) poor hygiene, 3) poor diet, 4) child abuse, 5) truancy, and 6)
behavioral problems.
The Ward has started specific initiatives such as deploying school social workers and setting up a learning support project to address the shortage of schools,on the basis of the “Arakawa System” for the early
detection of signals given by families with the risks
described in the report and to reduce those risks inStudying...

Outline of Project

Progress and Achievements(1) Role of the Ward

(1) Three Concepts

Providing support to groups engaged in the project, coordinating the children, groups, and relevant organisations(2) Participants

1) Place… a cozy third place, not school, home,or a play area
2) Meeting… contact with grown-ups and society,not teachers, or family membersChildren who need support, including children

3) Growing up… a project for developing thefrom families living in poverty, socially withdrawn

heart (by interaction), the body (by eating),children, and children from single-parent families.

and the mind (by studying)

Aged 18 or under.
(3) Content of the project executed by groups(2) Any children who need support
This project is carried out without depending on

Learning support, offering meals (dinner), inter-any subsidies from the Japanese Government oraction and relaxation

the Metropolitan Government. Its system has[Daily schedule at the project places] study at
17:00, meals at 18:00, relaxation at 19:00, closing
at 20:00 or 21:00

been built at the discretion of the Ward. Therefore,
unlike other municipalities, the Ward defines
those children who can participate in this project
as those who need a wide range of support, in-(4) Group staff
Local volunteers (teenagers to those in their 70s)
(5) Subsidies from the Wardcluding not only children from families living inpoverty but also children from single-parent families, socially withdrawn children, and children whoApprox. 1 million yen to 2.5 million yen for one

have to spend the night alone because both ofgroup (depending on how large the group and its

their parents work. This project is also intended

activities are and how many times the activities

for children aged 18 or under, which allows foroccur)

continuous support up to high school students(6) Others
The project is usually held once or twice a week(7) Background
This project was held at two places in FY2015
and at five places in FY2016 (as of December,2016)

who have finished compulsory education.
(3) Activities supported by local power
Various different places are utilized effectively forthis project, including not only public facilities, butalso restaurants on non-business days, rental
conference rooms in the private sector, andempty houses. People who support children as
volunteers range widely from social workers,
probation officers and graduates from Arakawa
Community College. Also, teachers at private tutoring schools, cooks and other professional staff
join this activity, making it a project where local
resourceful people can get together

Pairs of shoes worn by children all coming together
to their own placeEffects of Project(1) Support for children
About 80 children used this project in FY2016.
Nutritional support was offered by providing hot
meals to children who didn’t get dinner, and to
those who ate nothing but instant noodles. Reports show that children who acquired the habit oflearning at “their safe place” continued theirstudies at home, and got good grades at school.
For children, having a place where they feel likethey belong and are safe is an essential part oftheir life.
(2) Expanding the network in the region
Safe places for children play the role of a hub inconnecting a variety of related organizations including local communities, schools, children andfamily support centres, and the welfare sector.

Problems and Responses(1) Balance in the region
This project is, in principle, started and executed,
based on the will of people in the region. TheWard itself cannot choose the places to execute
this project, so there are blank areas of the Ward
where this project has not been executed. Efforts
need to be made in the future to have this project
executed in those blank areas.

Plenty of salad to be served to the children

Outlook
Developing the project in a way that will enable thechildren to attend a safe place in their own neighborhood (with the aim of securing one place in eachsecondary school district).

Reference URL
https://www.city.arakawa.tokyo.jp/kosodate/shisetsu/kodomonoibasho.html

ContactIn charge:
Child Care Support Section, Child Care Support Department
Tel: +81-3-3802-3111 (extension) 3811
Email: kosodate@city.arakawa.tokyo.jp(2) Securing service quality
Staff members have to deal with parents andchildren who are placed in different types of environments, so even the volunteers are required
to respond to them appropriately. In some of theplaces where this project is executed the staff
members need to be trained and given proper
information in order not to create any gaps in thequality of service.
(3) Securing safety
Closing time is generally between 20:00 and21:00. It is necessary to create a system that
ensures participants return home safely because
they include primary school children and girls.