Social Affairs Ministry Commits to Cutting Social Aid Processing Time

The Ministry of Social Affairs, through its Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) Handayani Centre, is committed to shortening the duration of bureaucratic handling and verification to accelerate the distribution of social assistance to beneficiaries. Head of the Handayani Centre at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Hisyam Cholil, stated in Jakarta on Thursday that the certainty of accelerated service is one of the main recommendation points from the Public Consultation Forum (FKP) held centrally in Bambu Apus, Cipayung, East Jakarta. “The public are customers who feel the benefits of services, so this constructive input and criticism is a trigger for us to provide much faster and better service,” he said. He explained that timeliness of handling is an important aspect that directly intersects with the urgent needs of the community on the ground, especially in terms of fulfilling social rights. Head of the Administrative Subdivision of the Handayani Centre, Ika Ayudya Pratiwi, acknowledged that the administrative procedures for handing over social assistance have been complained about by the public for being considered too time-consuming. “Of the eight services we have, the aspect of handling time is indeed something that still needs to be improved regarding the flow of procedures for receiving social assistance,” she said. According to her, these complaints arise because the handling flow must go through several tiered stages, starting from the entry of application data, the factual verification process in the field, to the administrative process of handing over assistance. This duration obstacle is a major highlight, even though in the 2025 Public Satisfaction Survey (SKM), the Handayani Centre generally achieved a fairly high public satisfaction index with a score of 89. In addition to shortening case response times, she added that the Handayani Centre also promises to continue improving efficiency in seven other main service units, including decent living fulfilment, childcare, psychosocial therapy, and vocational training in each service area.