“Sometimes the children just stay quiet,” said Bintang, a participant from Jayapura. “They do not say no, but they do not answer either. It is not that they do not want to talk — they are scared, or still in pain.”
7-10 October 2025 - In a Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) training room facility in Yogyakarta, MoSA’s Trainers (Widyaiswara) from Papua, Makassar, Banjarmasin and Bandung gathered to explore a delicate question: how to help children associated with terrorist groups safely process their experiences, reintegrate and move forward with their lives.
Organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) Centre for Education, Training and Professional Development and with the support of the Government of Canada, the training focused on psychosocial assessment and case management for child victims of terrorism. It aimed to strengthen local capacities to deliver rehabilitation services that are both ethical and culturally sensitive — even in regions where psychological support remains limited. This training is the second of three focusing on trauma-informed care and the strengthening of a common approach amongst MoSA’s rehabilitation centres.
“We don’t have psychologists yet in our centre,” one participant explained. “But we can learn to listen differently, to ask better questions and to use tools that help us understand each child’s story.”
Over several days, participants explored ways of balancing speed and quality in their casework — knowing when a rapid response is needed and when to pause and take time to assess the deeper needs of a child. They compared structured and unstructured interview techniques, learning that sometimes the most valuable insights come not from ticking boxes, but from observing the silence between questions. Social workers also learnt to distinguish between brief, comprehensive and specialized assessment toolkits, and to apply them to help map children’s psychosocial needs. Trainers encouraged them to move beyond binary answers — yes or no — and instead think in terms of scales and degrees to better support casework.
“Sometimes understanding comes not from what is said,” noted one trainer, “but from how the child reacts while searching for the words.”
The discussions became even more meaningful as participants compared experiences from their regions.
“In some areas, tolerance toward violence is different,” said one participant. “That’s why we must adapt — what works in Bandung might not work in Makassar.”
This exchange of perspectives highlighted the diversity of Indonesia’s social landscape and the importance of empowering local social workers to tailor national frameworks to regional realities.
Participants described having a renewed confidence to pass on knowledge gained and help others to recognize that healing begins with understanding. The sessions reconnected them to the heart of their vocations: to accompany children who have endured violence, to listen before intervening and to help build systems of care that protect rather than punish.
In June 2025, MoSA’s Centre for Education, Training and Professional Development of Social Welfare officially endorsed the Curriculum “Promoting Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Child Victims of Terrorism and Violence Extremist Groups through an Efficient Psychosocial Assessment and Case Management”. As part of this broader capacity-building initiative, the Training of Trainers will be followed by two subsequent trainings targeting social workers and psychologists from 31 rehabilitation centres across Indonesia. This aligns with MoSA’ Policy Direction for 2025–2029, point number 5, which emphasizes strengthening the competence and well-being of social welfare professionals.
