Child Rights Focal Points and Child Friendly Spaces Trainings at Rattan Community in Indonesia

The Centre of Child Rights and Business (The Centre) recently organised trainings for Child Rights Focal Points and Child Friendly Spaces caregivers in a rattan community in Indonesia.

The Centre selected and trained four young individuals from the rattan community as for Child Rights Focal Points (CRFPs), supporting them to play a key role in promoting and protecting child rights in the community, particularly with regards to preventing and remedying child labour.

The training provided to the CRFPs covered several important topics, including child safeguarding principles, child labour prevention and remediation, understanding the roles and responsibilities of CRFPs, and child labour rapid assessment and case handling. This training is vital to equip the CRFPs with the necessary knowledge and skills to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

The CRFPs will be responsible for identifying and addressing any child labour cases in the community, working in close collaboration with The Centre. By promoting child rights and preventing child labour, the CRFPs will help create a safer and healthier environment for children in the rattan community.

The Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) teachers training helps caregivers to understand the key principles of CFS and equips them with the necessary skills and knowledge to manage and teach in CFS.

CFS provide a safe childcare environment for the children of rattan workers where they can play, learn, and develop their social skills. The CFS operates during working days and working hours, which is crucial in keeping children away from dangerous worksites and helping to avoid child labour risk.  

CFS is an important initiative as it offers a free childcare solution for working parents and caregivers. It serves as an important demonstration of a brand’s and supplier’s investment in the natural fibre sourcing communities and strengthens trust. Moreover, CFS promotes and protects children’s right to development and protection. By keeping children away from hazardous worksites, CFS ensures a safe and nurturing environment for them.

The benefits of CFS also extend to the parents and caregivers who can work without worrying about their children's safety. This helps to reduce their worry and guilt, and strengthens their parent-child relationships. Furthermore, creating a stable and stronger workforce can lead to increased satisfaction and productivity. 

As part of this program, two personnel from the CRFPs have been selected as CFS teachers. They received a half-day training that covered topics such as the basic concept of CFS, understanding children's rights, how to build a safe and fun environment, CFS management, and effective communication with children. This training will help the CFS teachers provide a nurturing and supportive environment for the children.

Overall, the selection and training of CRFPs and CFS teachers is a significant step towards protecting the rights of children in the rattan community, as it equips caregivers with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children. 

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The Centre has worked with more than one hundred suppliers worldwide to create child friendly spaces so far, supporting over 10,000 parent workers and their children, with the majority continuing to run the programme independently after the first year, and some even extending the service to a year-round after-school centre. 

We continue to expand and innovate the CFS programme to meet the needs of suppliers in a variety of additional countries, contexts, and sectors, including both agricultural and manufacturing settings. 

Please visit our Stories section, where you will find a range of real-life stories about how the Child Friendly Spaces impacted families and employers. 

If you or your supplier is interested in learning more or joining this programme, please contact us.