5 cases of "missing" in 71 years What happens in day services such as after school There are also problems with the system

"After-school day service" for children with disabilities.

Last year, a junior high school boy went missing at a facility in Suita, Osaka, and was found dead in a nearby river a week later.

NHK made a request for information disclosure to local governments in the prefecture and found that there have been a total of 1 cases in which children have temporarily gone missing at facilities over the past five years.

Why are there so many missing people in places that are important to children?
As the interviews progressed, the issues of the national system became apparent.

(Osaka Broadcasting Station reporter Arata Horiuchi)

After getting out of the pick-up car...

The Kanzaki River flows through Suita City, Osaka.

Last December.

It was here that Yusei Shimizu, a first-year junior high school student in Toyonaka City, died.

Yusei was diagnosed with "autism spectrum disorder" at the age of 3 and had difficulty communicating verbally.

My parents have watched my growth by playing with handmade cards with pictures and drawings.

He loved playing in the water more than anything else.

Her mother, Akari
, said, "Even when she came home from school, she loved it so much that she bathed in the small pool at home, and she was playing with a huge smile on her face."

From the time I was in the first grade of elementary school, I started going to Alps Forest, an after-school day service facility in Suita City, and I spent my time after class until I went home.

December 1 last year.
After finishing her classes at the special needs school, Yusei took a shuttle car to the facility as usual.

Then, when I arrived in front of the facility and got off the pick-up car.

Yusei suddenly started running and disappeared as it was.

Police searched the area and found him dead in the river a week later.

When I was admitted to the facility, my parents had made an arrangement with the facility.

Due to the nature of his disability, Yusei sometimes started running suddenly, so when he got out of the pick-up car, he was always accompanied by two staff members and guided into the facility.

However, after the accident, the parents were told by the facility that the staff of the facility did not follow the arrangements and responded alone.

Akari, a mother, said
, "The most dangerous time is when you get in and out of the car, and the facility said, 'We will definitely do it together,' so I left my child with peace of mind. I think Yusei saw the sparkling surface of the water and decided to go play. Every time I come here, I feel sad because I want to help that child, or if I must have been struggling."

In response to the accident, Suita City conducted an audit of the facility in February.

For failing to ensure the safety of students by failing to take the prescribed measures, we have taken administrative action to suspend the acceptance of new users for three months.

In response to the interview, the facility said, "The feeling of being very sorry for the bereaved family will not change even if time passes, and we will take care not to have a similar accident again and strive to prevent recurrence."

"Missing" one after another

It's been almost a year since Yusei passed away.

NHK made a freedom of information request to the local government that has jurisdiction over after-school and other day service facilities in the prefecture to investigate whether similar accidents had occurred.

As a result, it was found that there were a total of 71 cases in which children went missing temporarily in the five years up to last year.

There were 41 cases in which the specific circumstances at the time of the disappearance could be confirmed, and ▼ the most common case was 17 cases where the staff member went outside without noticing, ▼ 11 cases where the person disappeared when getting on and off the pick-up car, ▼ 9 cases when he was playing in the park,


etc.

With the exception of the accident in Suita City, all of them have since been discovered, but in some cases, they were swimming in reservoirs or freezing in knee-deep waters.

The park where the girl went missing

At a facility in Takatsuki City, eight children were playing with staff in a park in April when one girl went missing.

According to the accident report, the staff searched the area but could not find it, and the police who received the report also searched for her, but about three hours after she disappeared, a resident found the girl walking in the river that runs through the city.

The river was knee-deep, and the girl was cold because she had been in the water for a long time.

He was later taken to the hospital and confirmed that he was not injured.

The report states that "if detected late, it could be life-threatening."

The girl had been unable to speak for a long time, and it was difficult for her to ask for help on her own.

As for the cause, the facility said in the report that "activities were carried out in places where there is no supervision" and "staff for children could not be secured."

If you increase the number of staff, the operation will be tighter ...

How can we prevent children from disappearing?

As the interviews progressed, it became clear that the current situation would be that the operation of the facility would become difficult if we tried to take thorough measures.

It is a facility "Ange" in Toyonaka City, Osaka, which accepts a total of 26 children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The maximum number of people per day is 1.
While national regulations require at least two staff members for every 10 children of any degree of disability, the facility always has about five staff.

Since there are many children with severe disabilities and difficulty communicating at this facility, we have been focusing on measures since its establishment in 10.

Inside the facility, a bell rings when the door is opened to prevent children from going outside unnoticed, and one staff member is stationed at each of the two rooms to keep an eye on them.

In addition, children are accompanied by at least three staff members when getting in and out of the pick-up and drop-off vehicles, and they are careful not to jump out onto the road.

However, three years ago, when they were playing in the park, a 3-year-old boy disappeared at the time.

It was when the staff took their eyes off.

Fortunately, it was found immediately, but in response to this, the staff changed the situation so that children who are difficult to recognize the danger at the facility will be dealt with one-on-one.

In addition, in response to the death of Yusei at a facility in Suita City, Kotoshi has also started an initiative to share face photos and nicknames with the police and others with the consent of parents in case a child goes missing.

However, a large number of staff are required to ensure safety, and this facility is forced to operate strictly.

The biggest source of income for the facility is the remuneration it receives from the national and local governments, but this is mainly determined by the number of children it accepts, so the more staff it has, the more the operation will be in the red.

The reality is that this facility is supplemented by the profits of another nursing care service business.

"It depends on the characteristics of the child, but when a child suddenly starts running, it is not always possible to stop if you call out.

"Issues in institutional design"

After-school day services are welfare services that accept children with disabilities after school and on holidays in accordance with the Child Welfare Act, and began 11 years ago in April 2012.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as of July, there were a total of 4,7 facilities nationwide, with a total of 2,758 users.

Regarding the current state of these facilities, Professor Kazuhiro Tamura of Ritsumeikan University, who is familiar with supporting children with disabilities, points out that there are problems with the system design.

Professor Kazuhiro Tamura of Ritsumeikan University
: "The system design is fraught with issues, such as increasing the number of staff in consideration of rehabilitation and safety, which will result in a deficit in operation. The government should urgently take measures to prevent accidents, such as reviewing the remuneration system, so that there is about one staff member for every three children."

71 missing persons were revealed during this interview.

This is a case limited to the five years of Osaka Prefecture, and may be the tip of the iceberg.

Akari, the mother of the deceased Yusei Shimizu, said, "I have always regretted not being able to help my son because it was a facility that I decided to visit on my own.

After-school and other day services are not only a place for children with disabilities, but also play a major role in helping them live independently
in the future.

What can we do to make it a safe place for children to go to school?

I would like to continue to cover the story.

(Broadcast on "Hotto Kansai" on November 1)