Getting the certificate:
通所受給者証, step by step

What the certificate is

The tsūsho jukyūsha-shō (通所受給者証) is a certificate that lets a child use "children's attendance support services" — child development support (児童発達支援), the after-school day service for school-age children (放課後等デイサービス), and visiting support at daycare and kindergarten (保育所等訪問支援). It works like a voucher: it states how many days per month your child may attend (the shikyū-ryō, 支給量), and the public system pays 90% of the cost.

It is not a disability handbook (療育手帳), and you do not need a handbook to get it. It is also different from the child medical-expense certificate (子ども医療費受給者証), which has a similar name and covers doctor's visits.

Who issues it — and what about foreign residents?

It is issued by the ward or city where your child is registered as a resident — the same office that handles your residence registration (住民登録). What matters is that your child has resident registration in Japan, not your nationality. The certificate is issued by your home ward but can be used at a classroom in another ward; families from outside Shinjuku attend our classroom with certificates from their own wards.

The seven steps

1. Consult. Talk to the ward's children's disability counter, the ward's child development support centre, or a classroom like ours. Many families come to us first and we explain the steps.
2. Apply. Submit the application at the ward counter.
3. Assessment interview. A ward officer asks about your child's daily life (勘案事項調査).
4. Service-use plan. A plan (障害児支援利用計画) is drawn up — either by a consultation support specialist (相談支援専門員) at a designated consultation office, or by you yourself (a "self-plan", セルフプラン). The specialist route gives you someone who also accompanies the later reviews; the self-plan route is quicker when consultation offices are full.
5. Plan submitted to the ward.
6. Decision and issue. The ward decides the number of days per month and issues the certificate.
7. Contract with the classroom and start attending.

If you have already visited us, steps 1, 4 and 7 are much easier: we can explain what to say, and the contract is with a classroom you already know.

Documents you will be asked for

The exact list differs by ward and by the child's situation, so your ward office will tell you at the first consultation. Typically it includes the application form, a document showing that support is needed (a doctor's opinion letter, a health-check record, a referral from the child development support centre — a formal diagnosis is not required), and something showing your child's My Number. Bring your residence card and your child's health records (the maternal and child health handbook, 母子手帳, if you have one).

How long it takes, how long it lasts

From application to the start of service is usually about a month. The certificate is typically valid for about a year and renewed annually; if you want more days per month, you can ask at renewal, and sometimes mid-term. The renewal notice and the review of the plan (モニタリング) are in Japanese — tell us when they arrive and we will help you read them.

Where to go in Shinjuku

Other wards have the same counters under slightly different names — look for the disability welfare division (障害福祉課 / 障害者福祉課) of your ward, or ask at the ward's foreign-resident help desk.

Before you go: a checklist

• Write down what you are noticing — when it started, in what situations, how often.
• Collect what you already have: health-check results, any consultation records, the 母子手帳.
• Note your child's daycare or kindergarten and how they are doing there.
• Decide roughly which days of the week you could attend.
• Have one or two classrooms in mind to name (it is fine to say you have not decided).
• Questions to ask the counter: Which documents do I need? Can I apply without a diagnosis? How long until the certificate is issued? Do I need a consultation support specialist or can I self-plan? How many days per month? What will I pay? When is renewal?