Support facilities for development of self-sustaining capacity are institutions that accommodate juveniles who committed or are likely to commit delinquency,or those who need living guidance due to their family environment or other environmental reasons,or make such juveniles attend from their own home under the supervision of their guardians,aiming to give them the necessary guidance according to their individual situations and assist their development of self-sustaining capacity.They also conduct consultation and give support for discharged juveniles.
  Support facilities for development of self-sustaining capacity started as"reformatories"under the Reformatory Law in1900,changed to"juvenile homes for training and education"and then to"homes for juvenile training and education".In1998,following the enforcement of the Revised Child Welfare Law,they changed to present"support facilities for development of self-sustaining capacity".
  Commitment of a juvenile to a support facility for development of self-sustaining capacity is carried out by a prefectural governor(or a director of child guidance center appointed by a governor)as an administrative disposition,(i)when it is acknowledged that a juvenile on whom a guardian asked for advice,who was reported by a school or a police,or who was referred to from a family court needs to be put in a support facility for development of self-sustaining capacity,or(ii)when a juvenile is to be put in a support facility for development of self-sustaining capacity according to a decision of protective measures made by a family court under the Juvenile Law.
  As of April1,2005,there were58support facilities for development of self-sustaining capacity nationwide(two national facilities,54public facilities,and two private facilities).As of October1,2003,all of these facilities had a capacity of4,363persons in total,holding1,749staff members(Source:Survey on Social Welfare Facilities,etc.by the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare).
  Since FY2004,special staff started to be deployed,such as officials specializing in the personal treatment of abused juveniles accommodated in facilities,and officials specializing in family support who help juveniles return to their own homes earlier and continuously support them after discharge(provision of through care).