Facing Days of Support Without a Correct Answer: Voices from the Field of Disability Support

My industry is welfare, mainly providing work support for disabled individuals. We perform light tasks such as folding and inserting flyers, sealing envelopes, and also engage in bread manufacturing and sales. Additionally, we have our own products, such as T-shirt and tote bag designs.

It was completely different from my previous industry, and that job was gradually disappearing. I heard that the welfare industry was always short-staffed and always recruiting, so I thought I had no choice but to change industries, and that's how I entered the welfare sector.

I hold a qualification as a certified care worker, and I am also a care worker and support staff.

The exam is held once a year, with a maximum score of 125, but aiming for 90 points or more, around 80 points, is generally considered a passing score, with about 70% of candidates passing. After leaving my previous company, I attended school for two years, studied there, and took the exam.

Type A is mainly for individuals who work in general companies, while Type B does not have a fixed contract period and individuals stay at the facility. That's the difference.

We have users ranging from their teens to their seventies.

Well, it's less about age and more about ability. We determine who can and cannot perform certain tasks based on their capabilities. Staff members who have been observing for a long time make these judgments.

Support work doesn't have a single correct answer. There is no definitive solution, so it's a process of trial and error. That's something I really think about.

Since there's no clear right answer, it can be quite stressful. You try something, but you don't know if it's the right approach, so there's a different kind of stress. In a typical company, stress might come from interpersonal relationships, and of course, that exists here too. But the stress here comes from not knowing what kind of support is needed for the users, so it's a new kind of stress.

When users say things like 'Thank you, [Name]' or when they come back from a trip and say 'It was fun,' I feel like it was worth it. It depends on the situation, but those moments make me feel good.

Last summer, we went on an overnight trip, and there was a user who went a bit wild at night, which left a strong impression on me. Some staff members were even kicked, and it took five or six of us to calm the situation down. In those moments, people can exhibit incredible strength. One staff member was kicked, so it really stuck with me.

I thought administrative tasks and planning would be handled by other departments. I didn't expect to be doing those things myself.

Compared to other industries, I think the pay is quite low. I believe that the high turnover and difficulty in retaining staff may be partly due to this.

Yes, we're operating with a small staff, so I think we either need to increase salaries or provide more days off. Otherwise, the cycle of people joining and then leaving will continue.

With the current staffing levels, there's honestly no time for training. So, I think it's tough for inexperienced people. I was in the same boat when I started; I had to learn by watching others since there wasn't much time for formal training.

It's quite busy, and when it's busy, it's not great for relationships. That's the honest situation right now. If you take the time to look at each person individually, they're not bad people, but the busyness creates a negative cycle that leads to a not-so-great atmosphere.

At my current workplace, there aren't any, but I think it's something we'll need to consider in the future. In the support sector, there aren't many, but in caregiving, there are some. In support roles, communication is crucial, so there are almost no foreign workers. Teaching tasks requires strong communication skills.

I love traveling and go abroad once a year, so I think I'm managing to maintain a work-life balance.

I do feel that the salary is low compared to the amount of work. With this salary, I think the workload should be less.

If I could, I wouldn't want to work. If I could make a living, I wouldn't want to work. I consider work to be a part of life, not the center. I don't want to continue working just for the sake of it, but I have to because I need to make a living.

I think it's important to have a broad range of experiences rather than specializing in one area. There will be many people around you offering unsolicited advice, but if you let that bother you, you won't last. I think the most important thing is to not pay attention to outside voices.