Cooperating with Sayangi Tunas Cilik Foundation, UMM Trains Students to Have Social Worker Skills

In order to make students easier to conduct research, internship, and practice, Faculty of Social and Political Science (FISIP), University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sayangi Tunas Cilik Foundation which is the partner of Save The Children Indonesia on Monday (13/8) in BAU UMM Hall.

This cooperation is signed to run social research programs conducted by lecturers and students, student’s practice for children services, and community engagement by educators. The cooperation objects are research, practice, and community engagement in Children and Family Support Center run by Sayangi Tunas Cilik Foundation cooperate with Department of Social Affairs Malang.

Rector of UMM, Fauzan conveyed that along with UMM Pasti program, the purpose of this cooperation is to develop the abilities and skills of students. He explained, “UMM has Pasti program which is aimed to face social dynamic in education system. This is what great people should be ready for”.

After Rector delivering his speech, the next agenda was explanation by Tata Sudrajat as Families First Signature Program Director of Sayangi Tunas Cilik Foundation. Sudrajat revealed that according to the data from Directorate Children Ministry of Social 2016, there are many social problems related to children in Indonesia. “There are 997.000 left-behind babies, 2,3 million street children, and 7.466 children against the law and 6.300 children needs special protection. Indonesians are aware about the law, but violence is still a culture”.

Meanwhile, social activist of Sayangi Tunas Cilik Foundation, Karen Flanagan from Australia, encouraged students of Social Welfare, International Relations, Government Science, and Communication Science to become social workers.  Karen revealed a fact that social workers are needed in her country. Somehow, this profession took 30 years to be admitted and accepted in society. Social workers in Indonesia and Australia have different concern in management system.

Karen said, “In Indonesia, there are many issues about children, while in Australia there are many issues about drugs misused, mental health, and violence to the elderly”. (lus)