Changing the Paradigm: Save the Children’s Work to Strengthen The Child Protection System in Indonesia

Save the Children’s work on shifting the paradigm of alternative care for children in Indonesia is a work in progress that began in 2005 and will continue until at least 2017.  The purpose of this in-depth report is to provide information on Save the Children’s work during the seven years that this programme has been in existence. It focuses on five key areas of change: – Evidence based advocacy through research, that included children who contributed directly to the changes initiated; – Policy and legal reforms, including the development of a framework to regulate the use of institutional care and ensure the provision of a range of family based alternative care options; – Capacity building and engagement of key duty bearers and stakeholders in the change process through a team of ‘champions’ that could drive the change process in all sectors;  – A shift in human and financial resources towards child and family centered services, including supporting the development of social work professionals with the skills and mandates to work directly with children and families; and  – The establishment of good models of interventions that support family based care and protection.

Each section of the report is organized around key components of an effective child protection system and provides an overview of ’What was done and why’, ’The approach taken’ and ’Key findings and learning’. The case studies presented throughout the report illustrate the complexity of the issues faced by children and families who are referred to the State-established special child protection homes in Indonesia (RPSAs),  and the appropriateness of the responses and interventions they recieve.

This report presents past achievements and best practices learned since the reform process that began in 2005, and identifies challenges going forward.