Cases of violence against children in daycare environments in recent\ntimes are seen as the impact of weak state oversight. However, the state\nis responsible for guaranteeing that daycare services available in\nsociety are safe for children.<\/p>\n
Ai Rahmayanti, a commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection\nCommission (KPAI), assesses that the violence still frequently occurring\nin daycare settings is evidence that the government is not yet ready to\nconduct oversight. On the other hand, the government is promoting the\nexpansion of daycare services in various regions.<\/p>\n
\u201cKPAI sees the main issue today as daycares growing faster than their\noversight system. On one side, societal needs are increasing and the\nstate is encouraging the expansion of daycare services, but on the other\nside, governance, licensing, and oversight have not been built\nstrongly,\u201d she said to Republika on Wednesday (29\/4\/2026).<\/p>\n
According to her, oversight of daycare services should be conducted\nin layers. This means the oversight should not only be administrative in\nnature.<\/p>\n
Ai mentioned that the government must conduct oversight even before\nthe daycare operates. This oversight is carried out through a strict\nverification process regarding legality, safety standards, caregiver\ncompetence, and the ratio of caregivers to children.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo daycare should accept children before passing that minimum\nverification,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
After the daycare is operational, the government must still conduct\ninspections. These inspections are deemed necessary to be carried out\nperiodically, not waiting for cases to occur before conducting field\nexaminations. \u201cThere must be routine audits and cross-sector\ninspections,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ai added that oversight must also be carried out with a child\nprotection-based system. This means daycares should not only be overseen\nas business entities, but as services concerning children\u2019s rights and\nsafety.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, KPAI is pushing for a national integrated daycare\noversight system, not oversight that is scattered and passes\nresponsibilities around,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She emphasised that the government has a responsibility to ensure\nevery daycare service is safe for children. However, currently, the\nauthority for managing daycares is fragmented.<\/p>\n
Ai gave an example that currently there are many types of daycare\nservices, including as educational services, childcare services, social\nservices, to business services. The many different definitions of\ndaycares are seen as potentially creating oversight gaps.<\/p>\n
For that reason, KPAI is pushing for a clear coordinative authority\nin daycare management. \u201cIf everyone feels they have a role, but no one\nis in control, that is dangerous,\u201d said Ai.<\/p>\n
She also urged the government to clarify the definition and position\nof daycare services. On the other hand, the government must also build a\nclear cross-sector governance model to avoid regulatory and oversight\nvacuums.<\/p>\n
She added that the government must be firm in taking action against\ndaycares operating without permits, including temporary suspension of\noperations for services that do not meet legal requirements and child\nprotection standards. Daycares must also implement child safety policies\nor child safeguarding as an obligation to prevent violence, negligence,\nand various risks to children.<\/p>\n
Not only that, every caregiver must also have certification through\ncompetency standards, training, and certification based on Child Rights\nMainstreaming (PUHA). This is done to ensure the quality of childcare\nand child protection.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Ai also emphasised a national licensing system for\ndaycare services accompanied by firm oversight authorities. This way,\ndaycare operators have a clear licensing scheme.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe development of national standards for daycare services, as\nminimum standards that must be applied by all daycare providers to\nensure service quality and child safety,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ai assessed that the government must also build an integrated\nnational inspection system. That system must be run with periodic\ninspections accompanied by sanction mechanisms for violations of service\nstandards and child protection.<\/p>\n
Finally, the government must also develop a national database of\nlicensed daycares that is transparent and easily accessible to the\npublic. This is deemed necessary to make it easier for the public to\nfind safe daycares. \u201cThe state is responsible for ensuring every daycare\nis safe for children,\u201d she said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/state-responsible-for-ensuring-safe-daycare-services-1777521281", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }