Social Affairs Minister Asks to Strengthening the Research Related to Social Empowerment Program

JAKARTA (11 December 2019) – The Social Affairs Minister Juliari P. Batubara ensured that the program and policy of the Ministry of Social Affairs had been based on research. Furthermore, as related to the social protection, the Minister also asked the Research and Development Agency of the MoSA to strengthen the research related to the social empowerment.

“There are many policies which being taken by the Ministry of Social Affairs in the research-based social welfare development. The research is not perfunctory. It is also being used on the context of evaluation toward the program, is it already on target,” said the Minister after Attended and opened the International Workshop on Research and Policy, in Jakarta, Wednesday (11/12/2019).

In the future, the Minister asked for using more research as the base of the MoSA’s program. He also pushed to the research use not only for social protection, but also for social empowerment.

For the Head of Social Education, Research, and Counseling Agency Syahabuddin, the Minister asked to do the study related to social empowerment. “To the Head of Agency, we have to do more research in the future related to social empowerment,” said the Minister.

In his speech, the Minister explained that research and policy was an unseparated part from the social welfare program. “Through the structured research, we can obtain the data, information, and knowledge on the problem, challenge, chance and the potency of social welfare management,” said the Minister.

“The social welfare management which being built with good quality that could be implemented effectively and rationally. It also provides solution toward the complicated social problem,” he said.

The Social Affairs Minister pointed out that the social protection management was not only directed to fulfill the basic need. “But also, to strengthen the social empowerment and endurance in facing many shocks and the negative impact of technology and information advancement,” he said.

Thus, the research became very important in arranging the policy and program. “Research becomes the tools to help in decision making on what we do and do not need,” said the Social Affairs Minister.

In the same opportunity, Syahabuddin explained that Social Education, Research, and Counseling Agency through the Social Welfare Research and Development Center was creating the cooperation in policy research and development, and the improvement of human resource capacity with the University of South Australia.

“The Cooperation note is being discuss with both of the stakeholder. The Workshop management is part of the cooperation plan,” Syahabuddin said. This workshop theme was “Toward Qualified Social Welfare Policy Based On Research” reflecting the spirit of MoSA on pushing the better quality policy.

“The better quality of policy related to the social welfare must be supported by the witness which being obtained from the structured research,” Syahabuddin said.

So far, the Social Welfare Research and Development Center had been done many social welfare research and study which became the basic arrangement of social welfare program and policy.

For example, the Family Hope Program (PKH), Non-Cash Food Assistance (BNPT), Collective Business Group (KUBE), MoSA’s Strategic Plan, to the New Direction Policy of Indonesian Social Welfare Development of 2020-2024.

There were Inspector General Dadang Iskandar, Director General of Social Protection and Security Harry Hikmat, Director General of Social Empowerment Pepen Nazaruddin, Echelon II Officials, Structural and Functional officials of the Ministry of Social Affairs Accompanied the Social Affairs Minister. This workshop presented the abroad and domestic speakers.

Acting Head of Public Relations Bureau

The Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs

Sonny W Manalu