Overview
In recent years, the challenges faced by families during pregnancy and early childhood have become increasingly diverse. Addressing these issues requires not only maternal and child health services but also close collaboration and information sharing across child welfare and community sectors.
As local governments across Japan establish Children and Family Centers, stronger partnerships between maternal and child health professionals and child welfare services are needed to provide comprehensive and effective family support.
Since 2022, the National Center for Child Health and Development (NCCHD) has been working in collaboration with the Children and Families Agency of Japan to promote the nationwide use of the Pregnancy and Early Childhood Risk Assessment Sheet.
This common tool is designed to help local governments identify families—including mothers, fathers, and children—who may need support early through routine maternal and child health activities such as prenatal interviews, home visits, and infant health checkups, and to connect them with appropriate services in a timely manner.
Our Projects
1. Regional Analysis Using Risk Assessment Data
One of the major benefits of introducing the Pregnancy and Early Childhood Risk Assessment Sheet is the ability to utilize accumulated data for community-based analysis.
Our team compiles and analyzes anonymized data provided by municipalities, and then provides visual summaries showing trends such as:
“What kinds of challenges are most common among families with pregnant women or young children in this area?”
We hold review sessions with local government staff to discuss these findings and identify community-wide needs and priorities that emerge from individual cases.
From FY2025, we have begun a partnership with NTT DOCOMO Business, Inc. under the Cabinet Office’s Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), Phase 3, to receive and manage municipal data securely in formats suited to each local context (e.g., paper, PDF, or CSV).
Through this collaboration, we aim to ensure secure data management, improve the efficiency of data analysis, and support data-driven planning for local family support initiatives.
2. International Collaboration: PRAMS for Parents
In the United States, research on perinatal and early childhood risk assessment has been ongoing for over 30 years through the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS).
Building on this foundation, our team has launched an international collaborative study with U.S. researchers to examine and compare family health and well-being during pregnancy and early childhood in Japan and the U.S.
By comparing data from both countries, we aim to identify each nation’s strengths and challenges and contribute to the global understanding of family support systems.
Related Link: PRAMS for Dads Website
This project is supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Child and Family Science Research (Project for Overcoming Developmental Disorders and Establishing Next-Generation Child-Rearing Foundations, FY2025), for the study titled “Research to Promote Support for Pregnant and Postpartum Women Requiring Special Consideration and Assistance, Including Those with Developmental or Intellectual Disabilities, Mental Disorders, or Foreign Backgrounds” (Principal Investigator: Takuyo Sato).