AiCAN implements a demonstration project to improve the efficiency of child abuse response in six municipalities! Adopted as a subsidized business for "Business in Co-Existence with Local Communities and Enterprises

About AiCAN

AiCAN Inc. is a start-up company that works to solve child welfare issues through municipal DX with the vision of "changing the world to a world where all children are safe.

The issue of child abuse is one that has yet to be answered in the SDGs, which also set 16.2 "Eliminate abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence and torture against children". In Japan, the number of consultations is increasing year by year and will exceed 200,000 cases by 2020, but the field is under pressure due to a lack of staff and the difficulty of responding to the problem, which involves a high level of judgment.

Combining the latest technology with on-the-ground experience and knowledge, we develop and provide services that support front-line organizations that respond to child abuse, such as municipal child guidance centers, child-rearing support divisions, and maternal and child health departments.

The main service, "AiCAN Service," provides a set of SaaS applications to digitize business operations and utilization support that offers proposals and training based on data analysis. By accompanying each municipality in solving its own issues, AiCAN contributes to reducing the burden on staff and fostering human resources.

Accompanying business support AiCAN services:https://www.aican-inc.com/service/aican/
Data Analysis Insight for Municipalities:https://www.aican-inc.com/service/insight/
Child Safety Practical Training Empower:https://www.aican-inc.com/service/empower/

About the Demonstration Project

In 2021, the number of cases of child abuse consultations was 207,660, an increase of approximately 20 times over the past 20 years, yet the number of child welfare workers (child welfare officers) has only increased by a factor of 4 to 5,000, leaving an overwhelming shortage of manpower. Moreover, it is said that more than half of these staff have less than three years of experience (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 2022).

In addition to Child Guidance Centers, the Child Rearing Support Section and the Maternal and Child Health Section of basic local governments are responsible for child abuse response, visiting homes, schools, and other relevant institutions to hear from children, guardians, and other concerned persons to determine the situation. However, in carrying out such duties, the following issues must be addressed.

Issue 1: There is no way to enter or view sensitive personal information from outside the office, and records cannot be written or viewed without returning to the office.

Challenge #2: Means of sharing and coordinating information with stakeholders are almost exclusively face-to-face or by phone, and information sharing is time-consuming.

Issue 3: Standard assessment tools need to be used to assess the urgency and severity of abuse, but no system has been implemented to do so quickly and appropriately.

These are issues that can be solved with technology, but have not been addressed due to the lack of ICT tools that combine security and operational efficiency.

In child consultation services, which require a high level of expertise, it is essential not only to introduce ICT tools, but also to use DX to improve the way work itself is performed through the use of these tools.

While providing the service to one municipality since 2020, we have been improving the application and accumulating support know-how. In order to expand the number of regions where the service will be introduced in the future and to build a system to respond to abuse that is rooted in each region, we will conduct a demonstration experiment in six municipalities nationwide during FY2023.

Through ICT tools developed in line with the workflow in the field, we aim to improve operational efficiency in child consultation work (collection and organization of information and facilitation of communication) and support decision-making (standardization of investigation content and smooth evaluation of abuse through prompt sharing of investigation information).

Subsidy for the Project to Promote the Introduction and Establishment of Businesses in Co-Existence with Local Communities and Enterprises

The term "business in symbiosis with local communities and businesses" refers to projects (demonstration projects) in which a single local entity or multiple small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in cooperation with related entities within and outside the region, attempt to solve regional and social issues common to multiple regions in an integrated manner while incorporating technology and business perspectives.

The Small and Medium Enterprise Agency recently announced the results of the adoption of subsidy business operators for the FY2023 "Subsidy for Promotion of Introduction and Establishment of Businesses in Co-Existence with Local Communities and Businesses," and our "Demonstration Project for Improving Work Efficiency Using ICT Tools for Responding to Child Abuse" was adopted.

With the support of the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, we will conduct demonstration projects in six municipalities across Japan this fiscal year to verify the effectiveness of the tool in helping to solve the common social issue of responding to child abuse.

Result of the Adoption of Subsidized Businesses for the FY2023 "Subsidy for Businesses Promoting the Introduction and Establishment of Businesses in Co-Existence with Local Communities and Enterprises"｜Small and Medium Enterprise Agency
https://www.chusho.meti.go.jp/keiei/chiiki_kigyou_kyousei/2023/20230623saitaku.html