One of the most important services of ISSJ
is the assistance to inter-country adoption of minors born in Japan. Inter-country adoption
means an adoption between parents and children
who have different nationalities respectively.
The most of the applicants for inter-country
adoptions were used to be the foreign couples
living in Japan or foreign couples residing
abroad who wanted to adopt children from
Japan. However, recently applications from
Japanese couples or couples whose spouses
are Japanese have increased. The traditional
adoption in Japan was to adopt children for
the succession of family names or to release
them for adoption owing to hardships of biological
parents' life. It means that wishes and circumstances
of both adoptive and biological parents were
given priority over the welfare of children
to be adopted. But ISSJ gives top priority
on the welfare of children in inter-country
adoptions.
The biological mothers and their families, Child Guidance Center, maternity hospitals and other related organizations request ISSJ for adoption assistance.. It goes without saying that being raised under biological parents is the greatest happiness for children. In order to determine that the adoption is the best approach for the child, social workers investigate the biological parents and their family repeatedly through the phone, interviews, home visits and visiting institutions as well as conducting child study. There is a case that a biological mother, who is at a loss at the beginning holding problems alone, decides to raise a child by herself once the circumstance in which she can get social resources and support from her family is established by the assistance from social workers.
ISSJ matches a child to adoptive parents
only when ISSJ decides that an adoption is
the best approach for that child through
child study. ISSJ requires all applicants
to attend orientations and to understand
adoption rightly. In addition ISSJ investigates
the applicants by the initial interview,
individual interviews, couple joint interviews
and home visits. During the investigation
ISSJ tries to get information regarding motivation
and intention of the applicants so that ISSJ
can find out what type of child should be
placed in their home for his/her welfare.,
.
In the increase of Japanese applicants ISSJ thinks it is important to urge not only applying couple but also their family members including parents and siblings to understand adoption. Because some family members may feel uncomfortable to accept a child of foreign nationality who does not have a blood relationship and in future that child is going to succeed their family name as a head of the family. An inter-country adoption aiming the welfare of adoptive child is still not familiar in Japanese society and so it is important to prepare a receiving circumstance in which an adoptive child is guaranteed to have as good family circumstance as a biological child has and accepted warmly by not only adoptive parents but also their parents and siblings. Therefore, ISSJ recommends applicants to discuss about the adoption with their family at an early stage. ISSJ helps applicants face their own family to fully realize the conflict which may occur by the adoption so that they might be well prepared as "adoptive parents", and keep the problems between family members as little as possible. ISSJ recommends applicants to tell the truth to the child at an earlier stage considering his/her age. Therefore, it is important that all family members accept the adoption positively and prepare a flexible circumstance that a child can ask questions about his/her biological mother anytime. The adoption of a foreign child by Japanese couple is still rare. ISSJ will continue to assist inter-country adoptions so that as many as children in Japanese society can live happy and stable family life.
THE CASE -Mother decided to raise the child by herself with ISSJ's assistance.
ISSJ was asked by a certain hospital to assist a Japanese biological mother who wanted to release her child for adoption right after the birth. She became pregnant out of wedlock, the biological father is a Japanese and his whereabouts is unknown. ISSJ worker visited the mother at the hospital. Through the interview ISSJ worker could recognize that she hesitated to release her child for adoption because of various reasons and she was emotionally unstable. Getting to know her better, ISSJ worker found out that her parents wanted to release a child for adoption but not her. Her parents worried about their reputation in the community, because of their daughter becoming a single mother.
The worker explained her that considering her confused feeling - lost loved one, sense of guilty and sadness, it was very natural that she had a hard time. The worker told her that the worker could understand her feeling and it was important to choose the best approach for the child in no hurry. Then the worker added if she could not make up her mind until her discharge from hospital, there was another approach to entrust the baby to a baby home through Child Guidance Center. The worker told her that the worker would give her full assistance when she decided to release her child for adoption in future, and would lend a helping hand to her to entrust the baby to the baby home. She felt relieved and made a contact with Child Guidance Center by herself. The baby was safely entrusted to the baby home from the hospital. The worker escorted her to the baby home.
Since then she and the worker exchanged letters several times. The biological mother wrote to the worker straightly that she hesitated to tell her decision to her parents who wanted to release the baby for adoption. The worker advised her, "It is important to tell them with courage." The worker advised her to relax and to lead her life ascertaining her feeling.
Preparing the circumstance in which she would take the child back, she thought, "I put too much burden on my shoulder", "I expected me too much". Also her parents realized that they did not support their daughter emotionally when she was suffering alone. Now she realized her parents' love and determined "I'm very happy to have a baby." "Even if there will be various hardship, I will never escape from them and overcome." "Whatever my family and acquaintances may say, I am the one who can protect the baby." "I don't know how the child may think of me, after he/she is grown up. But I will do my best." And she told the worker happily that she entrusted the baby to the baby home for a while until her life got settled a little bit more, however, she would visit the baby home as often as she could, give the baby milk, change diapers, play together and try to share the precious time with the baby. Now the biological mother has started her new life as a nursery teacher.
The biological mothers and their families, Child Guidance Center, maternity hospitals and other related organizations request ISSJ for adoption assistance.. It goes without saying that being raised under biological parents is the greatest happiness for children. In order to determine that the adoption is the best approach for the child, social workers investigate the biological parents and their family repeatedly through the phone, interviews, home visits and visiting institutions as well as conducting child study. There is a case that a biological mother, who is at a loss at the beginning holding problems alone, decides to raise a child by herself once the circumstance in which she can get social resources and support from her family is established by the assistance from social workers.
ISSJ matches a child to adoptive parents
only when ISSJ decides that an adoption is
the best approach for that child through
child study. ISSJ requires all applicants
to attend orientations and to understand
adoption rightly. In addition ISSJ investigates
the applicants by the initial interview,
individual interviews, couple joint interviews
and home visits. During the investigation
ISSJ tries to get information regarding motivation
and intention of the applicants so that ISSJ
can find out what type of child should be
placed in their home for his/her welfare.,.
In the increase of Japanese applicants ISSJ thinks it is important to urge not only applying couple but also their family members including parents and siblings to understand adoption. Because some family members may feel uncomfortable to accept a child of foreign nationality who does not have a blood relationship and in future that child is going to succeed their family name as a head of the family. An inter-country adoption aiming the welfare of adoptive child is still not familiar in Japanese society and so it is important to prepare a receiving circumstance in which an adoptive child is guaranteed to have as good family circumstance as a biological child has and accepted warmly by not only adoptive parents but also their parents and siblings. Therefore, ISSJ recommends applicants to discuss about the adoption with their family at an early stage. ISSJ helps applicants face their own family to fully realize the conflict which may occur by the adoption so that they might be well prepared as "adoptive parents", and keep the problems between family members as little as possible. ISSJ recommends applicants to tell the truth to the child at an earlier stage considering his/her age. Therefore, it is important that all family members accept the adoption positively and prepare a flexible circumstance that a child can ask questions about his/her biological mother anytime. The adoption of a foreign child by Japanese couple is still rare. ISSJ will continue to assist inter-country adoptions so that as many as children in Japanese society can live happy and stable family life.
THE CASE -Mother decided to raise the child by herself with ISSJ's assistance.ISSJ was asked by a certain hospital to assist a Japanese biological mother who wanted to release her child for adoption right after the birth. She became pregnant out of wedlock, the biological father is a Japanese and his whereabouts is unknown. ISSJ worker visited the mother at the hospital. Through the interview ISSJ worker could recognize that she hesitated to release her child for adoption because of various reasons and she was emotionally unstable. Getting to know her better, ISSJ worker found out that her parents wanted to release a child for adoption but not her. Her parents worried about their reputation in the community, because of their daughter becoming a single mother.
The worker explained her that considering her confused feeling - lost loved one, sense of guilty and sadness, it was very natural that she had a hard time. The worker told her that the worker could understand her feeling and it was important to choose the best approach for the child in no hurry. Then the worker added if she could not make up her mind until her discharge from hospital, there was another approach to entrust the baby to a baby home through Child Guidance Center. The worker told her that the worker would give her full assistance when she decided to release her child for adoption in future, and would lend a helping hand to her to entrust the baby to the baby home. She felt relieved and made a contact with Child Guidance Center by herself. The baby was safely entrusted to the baby home from the hospital. The worker escorted her to the baby home.
Since then she and the worker exchanged letters several times. The biological mother wrote to the worker straightly that she hesitated to tell her decision to her parents who wanted to release the baby for adoption. The worker advised her, "It is important to tell them with courage." The worker advised her to relax and to lead her life ascertaining her feeling.
Preparing the circumstance in which she would take the child back, she thought, "I put too much burden on my shoulder", "I expected me too much". Also her parents realized that they did not support their daughter emotionally when she was suffering alone. Now she realized her parents' love and determined "I'm very happy to have a baby." "Even if there will be various hardship, I will never escape from them and overcome." "Whatever my family and acquaintances may say, I am the one who can protect the baby." "I don't know how the child may think of me, after he/she is grown up. But I will do my best." And she told the worker happily that she entrusted the baby to the baby home for a while until her life got settled a little bit more, however, she would visit the baby home as often as she could, give the baby milk, change diapers, play together and try to share the precious time with the baby. Now the biological mother has started her new life as a nursery teacher.
