scholarly journals Effects of Financial Expenditure of Prefectures/Municipalities on Regional Suicide Mortality in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8639
Author(s):  
Takashi Shiroyama ◽  
Kouji Fukuyama ◽  
Motohiro Okada
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Regional Government ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
Welfare Expenditure

In Japan, suicide mortality has been improving from 2009; however, suicide remains one of the leading causes of death. Although previous studies identified solid relationships between governmental financial support for social welfare systems and suicide mortality, little attention is paid to how specific regional policies, designed according to regional cultural, economic, and social welfare situations, affect suicide mortality. Therefore, the present study analyses the relationships between the regional governmental expenditure of six major divisions and suicide mortality across the 47 prefectures in Japan from 2009 to 2018 using fixed-effect analysis of hierarchal linear regression with robust standard error. The expenditure in “public health”, “police”, “ambulance/fire services”, “welfare” and “education” is associated with reduction in suicide mortality, at least in some statistical indicators, whereas expenditure of “public works” indicated the influence of increasing suicide mortality or had no effect. Welfare expenditure was the most predominantly effective among the six major divisions of regional governmental expenditure. In the welfare subdivisions, expenditure of “child welfare” and “social welfare” was effective in a reduction in suicide mortality, but expenditure of “elderly welfare” surprisingly contributed to increasing suicide mortality. Child welfare expenditure negatively impacted suicide mortality in wide-ranging generations of both males and females; the positive effects of elderly welfare expenditure reached were limited as working-age populations increased, but unexpectedly did not affect the suicide mortality of elderly populations. The relatively increasing expenditure of elderly welfare with the relatively decreasing child welfare are unavoidable due to the Japanese social issues associated with a declining birth rate and ageing population. Furthermore, the budget of that regional government that can modify its expenditure structure by making its own policies is limited since most regional governmental expenditure is composed of essential expenditure for maintaining and operating regional social welfare systems. Although severe social situations in Japan are still unoptimised, the present results suggest that scientific-evidence-based redistributions of welfare expenditure in regional governments can at least partially improve Japanese society and welfare systems.

scholarly journals Relationships between Expenditure of Regional Governments and Suicide Mortalities Caused by Six Major Motives in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Toshiki Hasegawa ◽  
Kouji Fukuyama ◽  
Motohiro Okada
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Birth Rate ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Economic Education ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Health Economy ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Fire Services ◽  
Welfare Systems

Suicide mortality in Japan reduced in the period of 2009–2018. A number of studies identified the impact of financial governmental support for social welfare systems on suicide mortality; however, the detailed effects of specific regional policies, designed according to regional cultural, economic, education and welfare situations, on suicide mortality remain to be clarified. Therefore, the present study analyses the associations between the regional governmental expenditure of six major divisions, “public health”, “public works”, “police”, “ambulance/fire services”, “welfare” and “education”, and suicide mortalities caused by six major suicidal motives, related to “family”, “health”, “economy”, “employment”, “romance” and “school”, across the 47 prefectures in Japan during the period of 2009–2018, using fixed-effect analysis of hierarchal linear regression with robust standard error. The expenditure of “public works” displayed a positive relationship with suicide mortality of females caused by family-related motives but was not related to other suicide mortalities, whereas the expenditures in “public health”, “police”, “ambulance/fire services”, “welfare” and “education” contributed to a reduction in suicide mortality, at least in some statistical indicators. The expenditures of both “ambulance/fire” and “education” were predominantly effective among the six major divisions of regional governmental expenditure in reducing suicide mortalities. In the education subdivisions, the expenditure of “kindergarten” was related to a reduction in suicide mortalities caused by a wide spectrum of motives. The amount of expenditure of welfare indicated the limited possibility of facilitating a reduction in suicide mortalities caused by only motives associated with economy or employment. However, in the welfare subdivisions, the expenditure of “child welfare” and “social welfare” was effective in reducing suicide mortalities, but the expenditure of “elderly welfare” was unexpectedly related to an increase in suicide mortalities. These results suggest that most Japanese people are struggling to bring up children even in the situation of an increasing elderly population with a decreasing birth rate. Therefore, it is important to enhance the investment welfare policy for the future to improve the childcare environment. Although the issue of an increasing elderly population and a decreasing birth rate in Japan has not yet improved, the obtained results suggest that evidence-based welfare expenditure redistributions of prefectures and municipalities could improve Japanese society and welfare systems.

Recent Changes in Washington Welfare and Work, Child Care, and Child Welfare Systems

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terri S. Thompson ◽  
Kathleen Snyder ◽  
Karin Malm ◽  
Carolyn O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
Child Welfare Systems

Recent Changes in Michigan Welfare and Work, Child Care, and Child Welfare Systems

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin S. Seefeldt ◽  
Jacob Leos-Urbel ◽  
Patricia McMahon ◽  
Kathleen Snyder
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
Child Welfare Systems

Recent Changes in Minnesota Welfare and Work, Child Care, and Child Welfare Systems

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Tout ◽  
Karin Martinson ◽  
Robin Koralek ◽  
Jennifer Ehrle
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
Child Welfare Systems

Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in the Child Welfare System: Why Do They Exist, and What Can Be Done to Address Them?

2020 ◽  
Vol 692 (1) ◽  
pp. 253-274
Author(s):  
Alan J. Dettlaff ◽  
Reiko Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Black Children ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Children Of Color ◽  
Racial Disproportionality ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
External Causes ◽  
Child Welfare Systems

Children of color are overrepresented in the child welfare system, and Black children have been most significantly impacted by this racial disproportionality. Racial disproportionality in child welfare exists because of influences that are both external to child welfare systems and part of the child welfare system. We summarize the causes of racial disproportionality, arguing that internal and external causes of disproportional involvement originate from a common underlying factor: structural and institutional racism that is both within child welfare systems and part of society at large. Further, we review options for addressing racial disproportionality, arguing that it needs to be rectified because of the harm it causes Black children and families and that forcible separation of children from their parents can no longer be viewed as an acceptable form of intervention for families in need.

Child Protective Services Guidelines for Substantiating Exposure to Domestic Violence as Maltreatment and Assigning Caregiver Responsibility: Policy Analysis and Recommendations

2021 ◽  
pp. 107755952110026
Author(s):  
Bryan G. Victor ◽  
Ashley N. Rousson ◽  
Colleen Henry ◽  
Haresh B. Dalvi ◽  
E. Susana Mariscal
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Child Protective Services ◽  
Adult Survivors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Child Exposure ◽  
Exposure To Domestic Violence ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
Child Welfare Systems

The purpose of this study was to examine the range of policy approaches used by child welfare systems in the United States to guide workers in classifying and substantiating child exposure to domestic violence (CEDV) as an actionable form of maltreatment. To that end, we conducted a qualitative document analysis of child protective services (CPS) policy manuals from all state-administered child welfare systems in the U.S. ( N = 41). Our findings indicate that a majority of state-administered systems (71%) have adopted policy requiring workers to demonstrate that children have endured harm or the threat of harm before substantiating CEDV-related maltreatment. Many state systems (51%) also include policy directives that require workers to identify a primary aggressor during CPS investigations involving CEDV, while far fewer (37%) provide language that potentially exonerates survivors of domestic violence from being held accountable for failure to protect on the basis of their own victimization. Based on our findings and identification of policy exemplars, we offer a recommended set of quality policy indicators for states to consider in the formulation of their policy guidelines for substantiating children’s exposure to domestic violence that promotes the safety and wellbeing of both children and adult survivors of domestic violence.

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