“The only way for many families to access supportive services has been through putting their children in institutional care.” — Tata Sudrajat, Save the Children
90%
of children in institutions have one parent alive. 50% have two.
500,000
children live in childcare institutions in Indonesia
September 2014 End date
October 2016
Issue
Indonesia has one of the highest rates of child institutionalisation in the world. With half a million children living in care institutions, and the number of institutions more than doubling in the last 10 years, the issue is both alarming and growing.
The government’s child protection services focus on providing support through institutions, and often the only way for families to access child support is by putting children in institutional care. As a result, more and more families are relying on government institutions that have little accountability for the services they provide.
Project
This project works to ensure that both children and their families have an opportunity to talk about their experiences of child protection services, and work towards a better protection system for all.
The focus is on families who have already placed children in institutions, or are at risk of doing so. Through videos, consultation meetings, a dedicated helpline and individual interviews, this project collects stories and feedback on how easy child protection services are to access, and how good they actually are.
This model is the first of its kind in Indonesia and based on the positive responses of the Government to the child-led research, could be ground-breaking in moving forward child protection reform.
Partner
Save the Children is the world's leading independent organisation for children. They work in around 120 countries and fight for children to achieve their full potential.