94.6% Report Reduced Isolation: A Survey on the Effectiveness of Child-Rearing Support from Home-Start
A nationwide survey by Home-Start Japan reveals that its volunteer-based, in-home support for families with young children significantly alleviates parental isolation and anxiety. The study, targeting users from 2024-2025, found that 94.6% of participants felt their sense of isolation was resolved. The program is shown to fill crucial gaps in government support, particularly for parents struggling with the burdens of raising children alone.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 26, 2026 at 23:02
- 🔍 Collected: March 28, 2026 at 21:59 (46h 57m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 00:14 (410h 14m after Collected)
The certified NPO, Home-Start Japan (Shinjuku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Keiko Morita), has released the results of its first nationwide user survey in a decade, conducted as part of a project funded by The Nippon Foundation.
In parallel, interviews with public health nurses in seven municipalities that partner with Home-Start revealed that the service plays a crucial role in filling "support gaps" that government services cannot address.
**Survey Overview:**
- **Target Audience:** Pregnant women and families with infants/toddlers aged 18 and over who used Home-Start between February 2024 and November 2025.
- **Survey Period:** December 2025 to January 2026.
- **Number of Responses:** 426 (solicited via postcard, email, and LINE; conducted via Google Forms).
**Survey Planning and Reports:**
- **"Survey Report on the Needs and Effects for Pregnant Women and Families with Infants and Young Children Who Used Resident-Based, Attentive Companion Visiting Support"**
- Principal Investigator: Yoshitaka Nozawa (Associate Professor, Tokyo Mirai University, Faculty of Child Psychology)
- **"Guide for Collaboration Between Professionals and Non-Professionals in Companion Support for Pregnant Women and Families with Infants and Young Children"**
- Supervisor: Tomoka Takagi (Professor, Doshisha Women's University, Faculty of Nursing)
## Before and After Using Home-Start: Specific "Struggles" and "Effects"
The survey asked what struggles parents faced before using Home-Start. The most prominent issue was "one-person parenting (wan-ope)," accounting for 187 of the 426 responses.
Additionally, issues like anxiety about not knowing how to raise children and the difficulty of raising two or more children ranked high among parents' concerns. Characteristically, these problems were not limited to a need for single-instance support like housekeeping aid, but manifested as a complex burden stemming from the state of "shouldering childcare alone."
When asked about the effects of using Home-Start, the most frequent positive outcome was that their "sense of isolation was resolved," with 94.6% of respondents affirming this.
Following that, over 80% of users reported positive effects in areas such as reduced anxiety and irritability, feeling more connected to their community, better management of housework and childcare, being able to interact with their children more calmly, and becoming able to ask for help from people around them.
In parallel, interviews with public health nurses in seven municipalities that partner with Home-Start revealed that the service plays a crucial role in filling "support gaps" that government services cannot address.
**Survey Overview:**
- **Target Audience:** Pregnant women and families with infants/toddlers aged 18 and over who used Home-Start between February 2024 and November 2025.
- **Survey Period:** December 2025 to January 2026.
- **Number of Responses:** 426 (solicited via postcard, email, and LINE; conducted via Google Forms).
**Survey Planning and Reports:**
- **"Survey Report on the Needs and Effects for Pregnant Women and Families with Infants and Young Children Who Used Resident-Based, Attentive Companion Visiting Support"**
- Principal Investigator: Yoshitaka Nozawa (Associate Professor, Tokyo Mirai University, Faculty of Child Psychology)
- **"Guide for Collaboration Between Professionals and Non-Professionals in Companion Support for Pregnant Women and Families with Infants and Young Children"**
- Supervisor: Tomoka Takagi (Professor, Doshisha Women's University, Faculty of Nursing)
## Before and After Using Home-Start: Specific "Struggles" and "Effects"
The survey asked what struggles parents faced before using Home-Start. The most prominent issue was "one-person parenting (wan-ope)," accounting for 187 of the 426 responses.
Additionally, issues like anxiety about not knowing how to raise children and the difficulty of raising two or more children ranked high among parents' concerns. Characteristically, these problems were not limited to a need for single-instance support like housekeeping aid, but manifested as a complex burden stemming from the state of "shouldering childcare alone."
When asked about the effects of using Home-Start, the most frequent positive outcome was that their "sense of isolation was resolved," with 94.6% of respondents affirming this.
Following that, over 80% of users reported positive effects in areas such as reduced anxiety and irritability, feeling more connected to their community, better management of housework and childcare, being able to interact with their children more calmly, and becoming able to ask for help from people around them.