New Online Community for Supporting Children with Medical Needs Launched by Florence

On September 18, 2023, the NPO Florence, based in Chiyoda, Tokyo, initiated an online community named ‘Manabiba’ focusing on childcare for children with medical needs. This platform serves as a vital space for caregivers, including nursery staff, nurses, and municipal employees, to connect and learn from each other, honing their skills in providing care for medically complex children.

As we commemorate the fourth anniversary of the enactment of the Medical Care Child Support Law, progress has been made in integrating medically needy children into the early childhood education system. According to data from the Children’s Family Agency, the number of enrolled medically needy children surpassed 1,200 in the 2023 fiscal year, witnessing a nearly fourfold increase within seven years.

However, the field also faces serious challenges. With the growing acceptance of medically needy children in childcare facilities, Florence has received numerous requests for assistance, expressing concerns such as, “We are anxious about accepting medically needy children” and “We don’t know how to provide safe care.” In response to these urgent needs, Florence has already conducted training for approximately 500 individuals mainly from local municipalities and childcare centers in Tokyo. From November 2024, they plan to commence an online training course titled ‘Florence's Initial Training for Medical Care Childcare,’ which has attracted participants from 15 prefectures, showing the growing reach of their initiatives.

Through these training sessions, a pressing issue has come to light: many supporters are feeling isolated in their daily childcare settings.

1. Limited Staff for Medical Care Needs: In many facilities, medically needy children are often cared for by just one nurse or childcare worker, leading to feelings of isolation due to a lack of supportive colleagues.

2. Individualized Care Requirements: Medically needy children often require highly personalized care, making it difficult to find suitable examples or models to follow.

3. Collaboration Challenges: Achieving a balance between providing recreational activities and ensuring safety requires collaboration between nurses and childcare workers, which is often challenging.

If this isolation of caregivers continues, it may result in increasing fatigue and anxiety among supporters, potentially stunting further acceptance of medically needy children in childcare environments.

To tackle these challenges, Florence is launching the ‘Manabiba’ online community, designed to create a continuous learning environment where caregivers can share their experiences and innovative practices.