The Ministry of Social Affairs Supports the Development of Integrative Services through the East Java PKSAI

JAKARTA (September 10th, 2020) - The Director of Child Social Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Kanya Eka Santi representing the Director General of Social Rehabilitation was present at the webinar for the Development of the Integrative Social Welfare Program (PKSAI) in East Java. The webinar, which was organized by Unicef ​​Indonesia and the Child Protection Agency (LPA) of Tulungagung Regency, presented virtually the parties involved in the development of PKSAI, namely the Ministry of Social Affairs, Unicef ​​Indonesia, PKSAI, LPA and the Provincial/Regency/City Social Services in the East Java region.

Kanya started her opinion by explaining about the high level of social problems in children. The data from the case response results as of August 2020 carried out by 761 Social Worker Service Units (Sakti Peksos) throughout Indonesia, are not just reported cases but have been handled well by Sakti Peksos," said Kanya. The data is only one example of children's problems among various data collected by many stakeholders.

To respond to various children's problems and especially to prevent these problems from appearing or getting worse. The Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation (Ditjen Rehsos) develops Social Rehabilitation Assistance (ATENSI) for all clusters served by the Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation including children.

Atensi is a service that prioritizes family, community and residential based approaches as a last resort. "Family is the best place for children, while still paying attention to the best interests of children," said Kanya.

On the other hand, the community is the closest environment for children to fulfill their physical and psychological needs. So, the community must be strengthened to be more sensitive and responsive in preventing and solving problems experienced by children. Meanwhile, institutional/residential-based services are the last alternative after family and community-based services," said Kanya.

In its implementation, various Child ATENSI services need to be integrated with other services, both within the Ministry of Social Affairs itself and with other stakeholders. In line with this policy, the Directorate General of Social Affairs is also planning to pilot the Social Service Center (SERASI) at Children Center which aims to integrate various services.

Piloting SERASI will ensure that the need for Social Welfare Services (PPKS) is fulfilled their basic rights in protecting the family through ATENSI. SERASI initiated by the Ministry of Social Affairs will support each other with PKSAI in the regions.

"In various situations, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, integrated services are needed that are comprehensive and can reach all citizens, prioritizing the roles and responsibilities of families and communities in a professional manner. PKSAI can be one of the solutions that can be presented in various regions," explained Kanya.

Kanya appreciates the initiative of the East Java Provincial Social Service which supports the availability of PKSAI in several regencies/cities. PKSAI should be maximized in each area because it is able to identify and deal with children at risk of being vulnerable to violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect by promoting integration for effective and efficient service delivery.

On the occasion, Kanya emphasized that PKSAI is an effort to build a system that involves many stakeholders, it takes time to "knock on the door" of various ministries/institutions and agencies to provide integrative services. This requires the commitment of the Regional Head and many parties because children's problems cannot be addressed sectorally, but require systemic and collaborative work.

Head of the East Java Provincial Social Service, Alwi said that the efforts to develop PKSAI in East Java Province were centered on issues of child care, protection and social rehabilitation. "PKSAI makes a clearer structure because there are sources of solutions to collaborate together. PKSAI also has data management through service data and integration of data management and control. The role of HR and Social Workers is supported by networking institutions, said Alwi.

Furthermore, "East Java PKSAI replication is now in 7 locations, namely Tulungagung Regency, Jombang Regency, Pasuruan Regency, Sidoarjo Regency, Kediri City, Pasuruan City and Trenggalek Regency," said Alwi.

Meanwhile, Child Protection Specialist Unicef ​​Indonesia, Astrid Gonzaga Dionisio, expressed her appreciation for the development of PKSAI in East Java.

Currently, collaboration and commitment from various parties will accelerate the development of other new PKSAI. "So the commitment is not only the Social Service, but also the Office of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (DP3A), the Regional Planning and Development Agency (BAPPEDA) and various universities that support it," said Astrid.

"Human resources in the implementation of child protection and social welfare are still minimal, so we hope for cooperation with universities. PKSAI can be used as a practice location to compare theory with conditions in the field so that they can strengthen each other," she said.

The webinar was also attended by the Head of Unicef ​​Representative for Java, Arie Rukmantara who revealed the facts about children's problems in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, it is a new challenge for all PKSAI stakeholders in detecting various risks of vulnerability that will occur to children. "In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic teaches that one stop service such as PKSAI is the right choice because victims and their families can receive services and coordinate in one place efficiently," said Arie.

Unicef ​​Program Implementing Partner for PKSAI, Winny Isnaini explained the progress of PKSAI assistance in East Java. "We are assisting regency/city social services will carry out PKSAI replication in accordance with predetermined stages," said Winny. For example, in the expansion phase of the partnership, we encourage the formation of the Friends of Children Company Association (APSAI), collaborate with Sahabat Anak Journalists and strengthen LPA to support PKSAI.

At the end of her directive, the Director of Social Affairs for Children advised, "We encourage each district/city to carry out mandatory affairs related to the implementation of Minimum Service Standards for handling neglected children. This obligation must also be carried out in an integrated manner.