Child Adoption Practices in Yogyakarta
Legal Challenges and the Role of Social Workers
Keywords:
Child Adoption, Yogyakarta, Legal Challenges, Social Work, Child ProtectionAbstract
Purpose – This study investigates child adoption practices in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, with a particular focus on the legal challenges that arise in the process and the role of social workers in addressing them. Adoption in Indonesia remains problematic due to unclear court jurisdictions, inconsistent regulations across districts, and the risk of document falsification. The research seeks to highlight how these issues affect the protection of children’s rights and how social workers intervene to safeguard the best interests of the child.
Design/methods/approach – A qualitative research design was employed, combining semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. Respondents included officials from the Social Services Department, social workers, and prospective adoptive parents. Data were triangulated to ensure credibility and analyzed using an interactive model that involved data reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing.
Findings – The results reveal three key challenges in Yogyakarta’s adoption practices: jurisdictional ambiguities between District and Religious Courts, discrepancies in adoption procedures among districts, and cases of identity document falsification. Social workers play vital roles as enablers, mediators, educators, and advocates, helping families navigate bureaucratic processes, facilitating agreements between biological and adoptive parents, providing education on child rights, and advocating for children in situations where their rights risk being compromised.
Research implications/limitations – The study is limited to a single province, which may restrict generalizability. However, it highlights systemic gaps that can inform national-level adoption policies and child protection frameworks.
Originality/value – This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical insights into how social workers mitigate legal and procedural obstacles in adoption. It emphasizes the need for harmonized adoption regulations and recognizes social workers as key actors in protecting children’s rights in Indonesia.
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