Ministry of Social Affairs Commitment to Help Children in COVID-19 Conditions Through Progresa

JAKARTA (April 7th 2020) - The Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs is one of the government agencies that focuses on child problems. Especially in this emergency situation, children as a vulnerable group exposed to COVID-19 need special attention. The Ministry of Social Affairs is committed to helping children in the COVID-19 pandemic through the Child Social Rehabilitation Program (Progresa).

At the Progresa discussion meeting (07/04), it was stated that this program was a program built to deal with Children Needing Special Protection (AMPK), Street Children (Anjal), Infants Under Five Years (Toddler), Children Needing Social Function Development (AMPFS) and Children in Conflict with the Law (ABH).

Based on the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS), up to 2019 there were 183,104 children with details of 6,572 AMPK, 8,320 Anjal, 8,507 Toddler, 92,861 AMPFS and 64,053 Abandoned Children. Based on their existence, out of 183,104 children, 106,406 are in the Child Welfare Institution (LKSA) and 76,698 in the Family. This data will then become a database for the provision of social assistance and interventions for other children's social rehabilitation programs, for example at this time. is social assistance to alleviate the impact of COVID-19.

The condition of the COVID-19 pandemic which is still in an emergency status has moved the Director General of Social Rehabilitation, Harry Hikmat to accelerate the distribution of aid to LKSAs through children's social rehabilitation centers. "Immediately distribute aid, because in the current conditions many Indonesian children need a lot of nutrition to prevent COVID-19," said the Director General of Social Rehabilitation.

Director of Social Rehabilitation for Child, Kanya Eka Santi explained that the Progresa was carried out in accordance with the social rehabilitation mandate stipulated in Law Number 11 of 2009, Law Number 11 of 2012 concerning the Child Criminal Justice System, Law Number 14 of 2019 concerning Social Workers. and Government Regulation no. 52 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of Social Welfare for Persons with Disabilities. Social rehabilitation is carried out to restore and develop the ability of a person experiencing social dysfunction so that he can carry out his social function properly.

In child social rehabilitation services, institutions and human resources who are competent in their fields are needed. Progresa has provided Social Welfare Organizing Institutions (LPKS) / RPS or also known as LKSAs which have now registered as many as 4,864 LKSAs based on DTKS. Then the provision of certified Social Worker Human Resources which in the Progresa is called the Social Worker Service Unit (Sakti Peksos) currently totals 771 people.

The Director General of Social Rehabilitation added that we need to pay attention to the Social Workers and caregivers who have not been able to work from home fully. Jobs that require field observations such as outreaching, home visits and so on are humanitarian tasks. If you really have to do it, keep making sure that safety is the main consideration. "Keep your safety first. If you have to, anticipate using a mask and gloves. All must remind each other," said the Director General of Social Rehabilitation.

Another program that has been implemented is case response. In 2019, 12,523 cases were recorded as having received responses from Social Worker Service Unit. In this emergency condition, case response activities must undergo adjustments because they consider the safety of children and Social Worker Service Unit. For example, when forced to pick up children or return children to the family. If you have to pick up a child because of the condition of the parent who is exposed to COVID-19, then the pick-up must be adjusted using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Progresa also has a complaint / reporting service via the Child Social Service Phone (TePSA) to make it easier to respond to children's cases quickly. TePSA has been inaugurated since 2016 and serves 24 hours a day. TePSA is the government's commitment to address various cases of children in Indonesia. In the future, TePSA will be developed again so that TePSA data can be connected to Social Worker Service Unit, so that TePSA referrals to Social Worker Service Unit can be made online.

The meeting to discuss the Progesa was attended by 51 participants, namely Secretary of the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation, Idit Supriadi Priatna, Director of Social Rehabilitation for Child, Kanya Eka Santi, Echelon III and IV officials at the Directorate of Social Rehabilitation for Child and Heads of Children's Centers and their structural officials. This meeting became a forum for discussion and follow-up as well as strengthening the commitment of the Ministry of Social Affairs to improve performance in handling child cases in Indonesia. "We are a unified system. Build enthusiasm for our children in this emergency," concluded the Director General of Social Rehabilitation.