## Social Welfare Corporations

## Overview

## Outline of Social Welfare Corporations

Social welfare corporations are juridical persons established under the Social Welfare Act for the purpose of conducting the social welfare services (Type I and Type II social welfare services) prescribed in Article 2 of the Social Welfare Act.

Due to the public nature of social welfare services the establishment and management of social welfare corporations are more strictly regulated than civil law-based public service corporations.

The establishment, etc. of social welfare corporations has to be approved by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (with corporations providing services in two or more prefectures and thus established as nationwide organizations, etc.), the directors of Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare (with corporations providing services in two or more prefectures but are not under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare), prefectural governors, or mayors (including mayors of designated cities).

## Type I social welfare services

• Relief facilities and rehabilitation facilities provided for in the Public Assistance Act

• Facilities with the purpose of admitting the needy, free of charge or at a low cost and providing them with livelihood assistance

• The provision of funeral services for the needy

• Homes for infants, living support facilities for fatherless families, foster care facilities, facilities for children with disabilities, short-term therapeutic for emotionally disturbed children, and children's self-reliance support facilities provided for in the Child Welfare Act

• Nursing homes for the elderly, intensive nursing homes for the elderly, and low-cost homes for the elderly

• Support facilities for persons with disabilities as provided for in the General Support for Persons with Disabilities Act

• Women's shelters provided for in the Anti-Prostitution Act

• Vocational facilities

• Services that advances funds to the needy with zero or low interest

• The organization of a community chest

## Type II social welfare services

• Services that provide the needy with daily necessities or the money

• Living consultation services for the needy

• Day-care support services for children with disabilities, consultation support services for children with disabilities, services that support children's efforts at self-reliant living, after-school services for children's sound upbringing, short-term child care support services, house-call services for all households with an infant, house-call services to support childrearing, local childrearing support center services, temporary custody services, and small-scale foster home services as provided for in the Child Welfare Act

• Services of operating midwifery homes, nursery centers, children's recreational facilities, and child and family support centers as provided for in the same Act

• Services of providing consultation on improving child welfare

• Services that provide support for daily life to fatherless families, and services that provide support for daily life to widows as provided for in the Mother and Child and Widows Welfare Act

• Operation of a mother and child welfare facility as provided for in the same Act

• In-home care services for the elderly, daycare services for the elderly, short in-patient services for the elderly, multifunctional long-term care services in small group homes, and communal daily long-term care services for dementia patients as provided for in the Act on Social Welfare for the Elderly

• Operation of a long-term care day service center for the elderly, short-term in-patient facility for the elderly, welfare center for the elderly, and long-term care support center for the elderly as provided for in the same Act

• Welfare services for persons with disabilities, general consultation support services, specific consultation support services, transportation support services, local activity support centers, and welfare home as provided for in the Services and Support for Persons with Disabilities Act

• Daily life training services for persons with physical disabilities, sign language interpretation services, service dog training services, or hearing dog training services as provided for in the Act on the Welfare of Persons with Physical Disabilities

• Operation of a welfare center for persons with physical disabilities, facility for producing prosthetic devices, guide dog training facility, or facility for providing information to persons with a visual or hearing impairment as provided for in the Act on the Welfare of Persons with Physical Disabilities

• Services that provide consultation about rehabilitation for persons with physical disabilities

• Services that provide consultation about rehabilitation for persons with intellectual disabilities

• services through which the needy are rented simple, prefabricated houses or given the use of lodging facilities or other facilities, free of charge or at low cost

• Services through which the needy are provided with medical care, free of charge or at low cost

• Services through which the needy are given the use of long-term care health facilities for the elderly, free of charge or at low cost

• Settlement services

• Services to assist with the utilization of welfare services

• Coordination of various social welfare services

• Subsidies for various social welfare services