10.47313 The Role of Posyandu Cadres as Change Agents in a Child Friendly Environment

The Role of Posyandu Cadres as Change Agents in a Child Friendly Environment

Abstract

The Child Friendly City Policy was first introduced by the Ministry of
Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (Ministry of PPPA) in 2006
with the aim of transforming children’s rights into the development process.
Development through this Child Friendly City (CFC) policy is to ensure the
fulfillment of children’s rights to live, grow and develop, get protection from
violence, discrimination and other mistreatment, and actively participate in
voicing aspirations in every decision that concerns them. The CFC policy was
born as a follow-up to the commitment of the Government of the Republic of
Indonesia which has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child (CRC) with Presidential Decree No. 36 of 1990 to respect, protect and
fulfill children’s rights. The CRC is an international instrument in the field of
Human Rights with the most comprehensive scope of rights protecting children
under the age of 18 and has been ratified by around 190 countries in the world.
The CRC consists of 54 articles consisting of the rights of the first and second
generations, where the protected rights emphasize the best interests of the child.
Countries that have ratified the CRC are obliged to fulfill, protect and respect
the rights of these children in order to improve children’s welfare. The CRC was
created to provide a framework for each country to adapt and develop policies,
laws and services related to children’s problems.
CFC is a national policy, but in implementation at the city level, the local
city government together with the community and the private sector play an
active role in implementing Regional Action Plans and forming Task Forces.
Indonesia makes child protection a mandatory affair at the provincial and city
levels as regulated by Government Regulation Number 38 of 2007 concerning
the Division of Government between the Government, Provincial Government,
and City Government. The main step in the Development of Child Friendly City
Policies is to develop a Child Friendly City Regional Action Plan which contains
24 indicators referring to the 5 Clusters of the Convention on the Rights of the - 14 -
Child to encourage each Regional Apparatus Work Unit (SKPD) to make the best
interests of the child - the basis in formulation of policies and programs.
Child-friendly environment in the RW community area is an implementation
of CFC policy with a bottom-up approach that involves community participation
in building a child-friendly environment. Jamrozik (2009), divides the social
policy process into three interrelated stages, namely the political, administrative
and operative stages. Activities at the operative level are a form of conversion
from policy where issues at the political and administrative stages turn into the
stage of overcoming individual problems in society. In this operative stage, the
participation of various organizations and professions in the community will affect
the outcome of the policy. It is at this operative level that the implementation of
CFC in a Child Friendly Environment exists with various dynamics and actors
who initiate various activities in order to achieve the goal of fulfilling children’s
rights in the environment. Actors in the Child Friendly Environment in the RW
community area consist of structural organizations of RW (Rukun Warga), PKK
and Posyandu. This study aims to analyze the role of women who act as Posyandu
cadres as change agents in Child Friendly Environments.
The research location is in RW 06 Tanah Baru, Beji and RW 09 Pondok
Petir Bojongsari Depok City. This research uses a qualitative approach and based
on its benefits, is a social policy research. Research is an important component of
social policy. According to Jamrozik (2009) the purpose of social policy research
is to provide theories and data that can be utilized by the government or non-
government institutions in developing policies and achieving the desired results.
By conducting research on a social policy, it is hoped that researchers can define
social reality through identifying relevant issues and based on the interpretation
of the research findings (Jamrozik 2009). The knowledge gained as a result of a
social research can be used for various purposes, and is particularly useful for
‘disadvantaged populations’. In this study, what is meant by ‘disadvantaged
populations’ are children. The understanding of the community in the RW
environment regarding the CFC policy is a key factor in the implementation of
bottom-up policies. An understanding of the substance and benefits of the policy
will affect the level of community participation. As said by Hamdi (2013), public
participation is a reflection of the knowledge and understanding of the community
regarding government administration and the public policy process as well as
their volunteerism to contribute to the success of the government administration
process and the public policy process.
In a Child Friendly Environment in RW 06 Tanah Baru Beji and RW 09
Pondok Petir Bojongsari, the desire to make the RW environment into a Child - 15 -
Friendly Environment is purely a citizen initiative, through community leaders
and Posyandu cadres. Communities in these two regions also have a level of
understanding about the needs of children, and that they as parents have a moral
responsibility to prepare the next generation of the nation. There is a motivational
drive from within which is caused by the fairly high level of knowledge possessed
by Posyandu cadres regarding the rise of cases that befall children, thus creating
a feeling of moral responsibility towards children. This internal motivation
has resulted in a fairly high level of community participation, so that the
implementation of a Child Friendly Environment will run well. The community in
the RW environment designs, coordinates, assisting and supervising activities to
fulfill children’s rights which are initiated and coordinated by Posyandu Cadres.
Various activities include filling out after school activities in the afternoon until
sunset at Saung Pintar where Posyandu cadres hold positive free time activities
such as drawing, story telling, reading the Koran, etc. On holidays, Posyandu
cadres also hold gardening and baking activities with the children. This study
succeeded in identifying the variables that influence community participation,
namely the quality of the community (people who have a level of knowledge
about the goals and benefits of the policy and volunteer to contribute), community
capital, and the existence of change agents that involve the community in
implementing CFC policies. Here the Posyandu cadres act as change agents who
involve the community in the RW in making their environment a Child-friendly
environment and mobilize the community to participate. The role of the change
agent here is as an enabler (which enables citizens to be involved) so that the
implementation of a Child Friendly Environment is successful.