Save Child Care Rights, Ministry of Social Affairs Holds Reflection on Foster Care Program

JAKARTA (29 October 2021) – The Ministry of Social Affairs through the Directorate of Child Social Rehabilitation held a Reflection Activity on Alternative Child Care through Foster Care in Indonesia. The activity, which involved 100 participants from various circles, was opened directly by Acting Director General of Social Rehabilitation, Harry Hikmat. The purpose of this activity is to evaluate the implementation of the Foster Care trial which has already taken place in several areas to produce recommendations for better Foster Care implementation in the future.

Harry in his speech said that currently, many children have lost their parental care due to Covid-19. “These children must get our attention together. For children who are left behind by one parent, they can be cared for by a parent who is still alive, but for children who have lost both parents, alternative care can be provided either from siblings, grandparents, other families, or even through Foster Care," he explained.

Harry further said that with the implementation of the Foster Care program as a national program, the dissemination of information about the urgency of childcare must continue to be intensified. “Policies and strategies for child care programs are very important for us to implement. By looking at the existing needs, I have decided that this childcare program is no longer a trial but must be put into practice immediately to cover the 38,000 orphans who lost their parents due to Covid-19," said Harry.

“The state is also obliged to provide and support families who carry out alternative care. Therefore, in the childcare system, we often find good parenting skills, namely training for parents to be good babysitters so that prospective parents meet the requirements to become babysitters," he added.

The Reflection on Alternative Parenting for Children, which has been held since Wednesday, October 27, 2021, was filled with material presentations from expert resource persons, cross-sectoral discussion sessions through Focus Group Discussions (FGD), and reflections on the implementation of alternative child care in Indonesia.

Kanya Eka Santi as Director of Child Social Rehabilitation in her presentation said that the legal basis for alternative child care was very complete and had been supported by various regulations. The childcare system implemented can cover the third degree from above, below, and sideways in the child's family following the best interests of the child. Alternative child care, one of which is Foster Care, can be a systematic and institutionalized solution in child care.