Florence Establishes New Leave and Leave of Absence System for Child's School Refusal and Other Support Needs

Florence, a certified NPO (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Midori Akasaka), has established and expanded a "Leave and Leave of Absence System" for situations requiring support for children's school refusal, effective April 1, 2026, as part of its personnel system revision.

According to the latest survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the number of elementary and junior high school students absent from school nationwide has exceeded 350,000, a record high and an increase for 12 consecutive years (*1). When a child becomes truant, working parents face extreme difficulties in providing care while working, leading to the serious social problem of "school refusal-related job loss" where parents are forced to quit their jobs. As a first step towards realizing a society where "parents can continue working even if their child becomes truant," Florence aims to embody this work style itself and create a "new normal" for society.

*1 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, "Survey on Problems and School Guidance Issues for Students in Fiscal Year 2024" (Announced October 2025)

Social Background: The Challenge of "Parental Employment Continuity" Often Overlooked in an Era of Over 350,000 Truant Students

School refusal is a common social issue that can occur in any family. Currently, it is estimated that about 1 in 44 elementary school students and 1 in 15 junior high school students are truant (*2). Immediately after a child becomes truant, they often need "time at home to slowly recover from their distress." Simultaneously, parents must invest significant effort in consultations with school counselors and medical institutions, and in searching for new learning environments (such as free schools). However, many of these professional services operate on weekdays, forcing parents to choose between "work" and "childcare."

Data shows that "about 1 in 4 parents experience job loss or leave of absence due to their child's school refusal" (*3), and "school refusal-related job loss" carries the risk of secondary damage such as financial hardship and social isolation for the family.

*2 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, "To Business Owners and Workers: Regarding the Current Situation and Countermeasures for School Refusal"

*3 NPO Key Design Survey, February 2024

Overview of the New System: An Original Leave and Leave of Absence System to Support Various Child Conditions, Including School Refusal

With this system revision, Florence has expanded and newly established the following two points to support various child conditions, not limited to illness or injury, including school refusal: A key feature is the expansion of the scope to include illnesses, disabilities, and developmental support that require parental visits and other care, similar to school refusal.

Expansion of the Reasons for "Child Care and Support Leave"
The conditions for "Child Care and Support Leave" have been expanded to include "cases requiring support for school refusal, disability, or developmental assistance," extending beyond the legally defined scope of nursing care (for illness/injury).

Establishment of the "Child Support Leave of Absence" System
A new leave of absence system has been established, allowing staff raising children up to junior high school graduation to take up to one year off if long-term leave is necessary for supporting their child's school refusal, illness, disability, or developmental assistance. A system is in place to ensure a smooth return to work once the situation stabilizes.

* The national "Family Care Leave" system generally applies only to conditions requiring "constant care." Therefore, "dealing with a child's school refusal" or "accompanying a child for developmental support" may not be covered under the legal definition of family care leave. Furthermore, the duration of family care leave is legally capped at "a cumulative total of 93 days" per eligible family member. Therefore, Florence has flexibly operated the existing family care leave system while separately establishing its own leave of absence system, which can be taken for up to one year.

System Features: Realized through Proposals from the Internal "School Refusal Issue Project"

This system was realized through proposals from the internal "School Refusal Issue Project," composed of staff members who are themselves affected and volunteers with a strong awareness of the issue.

Florence also has a "Parents' Support Group" community, centered around project members, where parents of children experiencing school refusal connect through gatherings and chat groups. The organizational culture fosters an environment where the anxieties surrounding school refusal, which are often difficult to share with others and tend to be kept within the family, can be shared in a safe and secure community of peers for information exchange and mutual support.

The urgent voices raised during these activities regarding "significant support workload occurring during weekdays" and "anxiety about career continuity" led to the institutionalization of this system.

Comment from Kazuyoshi Jinai, Project Leader
I believe there is a significant issue with the current situation where families become isolated, treating school refusal as a personal responsibility. I want to build a society where parents and children can encounter diverse options suitable for each child, without excessive burdens (time, cost, emotional stress, etc.).

Voice from an Employee Who Was a Former Affected Parent
I raised two children who experienced school refusal. It would have been difficult to balance work and childcare if I weren't at Florence, but even so, I had to be resourceful in taking leave and managing my time. By supporting parents, I believe we can reduce the guilt children feel when choosing school refusal. I am deeply grateful to the project and HR departments for reflecting this in the system.

Comment from Midori Akasaka, Representative Director
In Japanese society, where options outside of school are extremely limited, school refusal is a necessary "option" for children. However, under the current social structure, parents are forced to abandon their careers the moment they choose this path.
Florence has built safety nets to support parents and children in crisis through services like in-home sick child care and care for children with disabilities. We believe this revision of our personnel system is a step towards changing the societal atmosphere by transforming our own work styles as an NPO. We aim not only to practice this within our organization but also to contribute to policy advocacy and cultural creation so that "parents can continue working even if their child becomes truant" becomes the norm nationwide.

About Florence, Certified NPO

Changing Japan for the Children. Florence is the largest NPO in Japan, working to nurture children who will lead the future, by solving social issues and creating value through three pillars: business development, policy advocacy, and cultural creation.

Established in 2004 as Japan's first organization for in-home, mutual-aid based sick child care, Florence engages in comprehensive activities in the child and childcare domain, including support for single-parent families, prevention of child poverty, prevention of child abuse and parental isolation, and support for families with children with disabilities.

Through initiatives such as "Ouchi Hoikuen" (home daycare), which was nationalized in fiscal year 2015 as "small-scale licensed daycare centers," "Florence's Childcare and Support for Children with Disabilities" which provides childcare and support to families with disabled children, "Florence's Pregnancy Counseling and Infant Adoption" to resolve child abuse issues, and "Kodomo Takushoku" (child home-eating) to address child poverty, Florence is expanding its efforts nationwide with many partners, aiming to create a "new normal" in society.

▶ Florence Corporate Site URL: https://florence.or.jp/