Volume 6 No.
2 (July 2.
, pp.
EISSN 2722-2861
Progress in Social Development THE ROLE OF EXTENDED FAMILIES IN CAREGIVING FOR THE CHILDREN OF INDONESIAN MIGRANT WORKERS IN COMPRENG VILLAGE.
SUBANG REGENCY Ratnasari Putri Utami1.
Ashlihul Hayati2 1,2 PT Pertamina EP Zona 7 Subang Field.
Indonesia Email Correspondence: mk.
hayati@pertamina.
ABSTRACT:
The departure of Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) affects the care of the children left behind, prompting extended families to often take over the role of parents.
This study aims to analyze the role of extended families in caring for the children of PMIs, focusing on aspects of socialization, daily caregiving, socio-psychological support, education, and financial management.
Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations with five informants, including PMI children, extended family caregivers.
PMIs, and school teachers.
The findings indicate that the extended family serves as a substitute secure base, supporting the childrenAos growth and development through the development of social skills, fulfillment of basic needs, educational assistance, and assurance of financial sustainability.
In addition, the extended family plays a role in maintaining the childAos emotional connection with their parents through long-distance communication, although limited resources and consumerist spending patterns in some families remain challenges.
This study provides recommendations for extended families, the government, and educational institutions to strengthen the caregiving capacity for PMI children through training, psychosocial assistance, and sustainable financial management.
Keywords: Indonesian Migrant Workers.
Extended Family Role,Child Caregiving Article Info Received 17 February 2025 Accepted Published DOI 16 August 2025 17 August 2025 https://doi.
org/10.
30872/psd.
Copyright and License Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.
0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
INTRODUCTION
The phenomenon of labor migration abroad has become an integral part of the socio-economic dynamics in many countries, including Indonesia.
One of the primary drivers motivating individuals to work as Indonesian Migrant Workers is economic factors.
According to Law No.
18 of 2017.
Indonesian Migrant Workers called Pekerja Migran Indonesia (PMI) are defined as Indonesian citizens who have worked, are currently working, or will work outside the territory of Indonesia in exchange for compensation.
The desire to improve and enhance their family's economic conditions, particularly amidst difficulties in securing employment domestically, drives many individuals to seek job opportunities abroad as PMI.
In 2024, the number of Indonesians working as PMI was recorded at 297.
434, consisting of 96.
091 men and 201.
Data from the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) indicate that five provinces have the highest number of migrant workers, with East Java ranking first, followed by Central Java.
West Java.
West Nusa Tenggara, and Lampung.
Table 1.
Number of Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) Province Amount East Java Central Java West Java Journal homepage: psd.
fisip-unmul.
id/index.
php/psd West Nusa Tenggara Lampung Source: Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Board, 2024 West Java is recognized as one of the provinces in Indonesia with a high number of migrant workers, with several regions serving as key hubs for overseas labor deployment.
According to the data in Table 2.
Indramayu Regency recorded the highest number of migrant workers, totaling 21.
This is followed by Cirebon Regency with 11.
826 migrant workers.
Subang Regency with 7.
Karawang Regency with 4.
and finally.
Majalengka Regency, which sent 3.
241 migrant workers.
Table 1.
Number of Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) from West Java Province Regency Amount Indramayu Cirebon Subang Karawang Majalengka Source: Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Board, 2024 Of the total 7.
742 migrant workers in Subang Regency, data from the Department of Manpower.
Transmigration.
Energy, and Mineral Resources indicate that Compreng Village contributed 327 migrant workers in 2024, reflecting the villageAos significant potential for a productive workforce.
In 2018.
Compreng Village was chosen as a pilot village for the Productive Migrant Village (Desmigrati.
program by the Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia.
Compreng Village is a region where the majority of residents work as farmers.
The relatively low income from the agricultural sector, coupled with the community's limited capacity to develop existing potential, has led some residents to seek income outside of agriculture.
One of the most commonly chosen alternatives is working as an PMI abroad.
Economic factors serve as the primary driver for Compreng Village residents to become PMI, particularly for those who have families.
Many parents decide to work abroad as migrant workers to improve their family's economic conditions, ensuring that their household needs, especially their children's necessities, are met.
However, this decision often requires them to be separated from their children.
As an alternative, the responsibility for childcare is typically entrusted to extended family members.
This arrangement does not imply that parents completely abandon their responsibilities.
rather, economic pressures compel them to seek livelihoods abroad to support their families.
Research conducted by Lam & Yeoh .
in Southeast Asia highlights that labor migration affects the extended family members left behind, leading to shifts in family roles to compensate for the absence of the migrant worker.
The pivotal role of the extended family is also reflected in the study conducted by Jinhee Kim.
Taylor L.
Spangler, and Michael S.
Gutter .
, which examined the dynamics of modern households in the United States in the post-recession period.
Their findings revealed that the presence of additional family members can serve as a vital source of financial, emotional, and domestic support, while simultaneously posing potential economic and psychological burdens.
In the Indonesian context, this observation resonates with the perspective that the family is not merely a place of physical shelter but also a fundamental social institution that shapes the character, values, and norms of its members.
The family is regarded as the most essential and primary social unit due to its intimate emotional bonds, intensive interactions, and its significant influence on the process of socialization (Awaru, 2.
Within migrant worker communities, where one or both parents often leave home to work abroad, the extended family frequently emerges as the principal pillar in childcare.
This positioning elevates the extended family to the role of a key actor in addressing the emotional, educational, and social needs of migrant workersAo Members of the extended family such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, or older siblings commonly assume caregiving responsibilities when parents are absent, often on a long-term basis (Zuhri, 2.
Beyond temporarily substituting parental roles, extended families provide the structural and emotional stability necessary to maintain household cohesion amidst the challenges of geographical separation.
Despite its significance, the contribution of extended families in ensuring family stability and bridging the emotional, educational, and social needs of migrant workersAo children remains underexplored in scholarly This study seeks to address this gap by examining in depth the role of extended families in the caregiving of Indonesian migrant workersAo children, with a specific focus on Compreng Village.
Compreng Subdistrict.
Subang Regency.
West Java.
The objective is to illuminate how extended families function as primary agents in safeguarding the well-being of these children, ensuring that their emotional, educational, and social needs are met despite the challenges posed by prolonged parental absence.
Progress in Social Development: Volume 6 No.
2 (July 2.
METHOD This study employed a qualitative approach using the case study method.
A case study is a process of collecting and presenting in-depth information related to a current event or phenomenon, whether involving individuals, organizations, communities, or specific situations (Yin, 2.
This method is one of the qualitative approaches aimed at analyzing a case in depth through the collection of data from various sources of information (Raco, 2.
The research was conducted in Compreng Village.
Subang Regency.
West Java Province.
This location was selected because it has a considerable number of Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI)Ai327 individuals in 2024Aiand was designated as a pilot village for the Productive Migrant Village Program (Desmigrati.
by the Ministry of Manpower in 2018.
Data collection in this case study was conducted using purposive sampling.
Primary data sources included five informants with the following characteristics: children left behind by parents working as PMIs.
parents such as grandparents, uncles, or aunts.
the PMIs themselves.
and school teachers of the left-behind The methods used for data collection consisted of in-depth interviews, aimed at exploring the role of extended families in caring for the children of Indonesian Migrant Workers, as well as identifying the forms of social and emotional support provided.
Additionally, observations were carried out by directly monitoring the activities of extended families involved in the caregiving of children whose parents work as PMIs.
This approach was chosen for its ability to provide an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon under study.
The theoretical framework for this study draws on attachment theory developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth.
Bowlby introduced the concept of attachment as the human drive to form closeness with others and to find comfort in such relationships.
According to Mcnks, attachment is the effort to seek and maintain contact with certain individuals.
For children, the primary attachment figures are generally the mother, father, and other close family members.
Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that forms between an infant and their primary caregiverAiusually the mother, father, grandparents, or guardians.
Attachment styles refer to patterns of relationships influenced by early emotional bonds, which then continue to shape relationships with family, friends, romantic partners, and colleagues in adulthood.
Bowlby identified four key characteristics of attachment (Bowlby, 1.
Proximity maintenance: the desire to be physically close to the attachment figure.
Safe haven: the ability to return to the attachment figure for comfort in times of threat or fear.
Secure base: the attachment figure serves as a foundation of security from which to explore the Separation distress: anxiety occurring when the attachment figure is absent.
Based on the quality of the relationship formed, there are four attachment styles (Main & Solomon, 1.
Secure attachment: develops when a child consistently receives emotional and physical needs fulfillment, fostering self-confidence, empathy, and the ability to form positive relationships.
Ambivalent attachment: characterized by feelings of unworthiness, a high need for intimacy, and fear of rejection, leading to over-dependence on othersAo approval.
Avoidant attachment: reflects a tendency to maintain distance from emotional closeness and prioritize Disorganized attachment: the most extreme form of insecure attachment, marked by confusion and fear resulting from inconsistent, neglectful, or even abusive caregiving, making it difficult for individuals to form stable relationships and often leading to emotional instability.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The research findings indicate that extended families play a crucial role in the caregiving of migrant workers' children.
This role encompasses various aspects aimed at supporting the optimal development of the children, effectively substituting for the parental role of those working abroad.
1 Resulting roles 1 Socialization According to Family serves as the first and primary environment where children acquire learning Within the family, children learn about beliefs, core values, communication skills, social interactions, and essential life skills (Helmawati, 2.
Family is the initial environment that exerts the earliest influence on a childAos development (Ahid, 2.
The family atmosphere plays a crucial role in shaping social interaction patterns, which impact the emotional development and affective responses of children, adolescents, and adults as members of the family (Saputri & Naqiyah, 2.
The extended family plays a vital role in facilitating childrenAos social interactions and the development of their social skills.
PMI Children who are raised by extended family members have opportunities to develop social skills through natural learning processes embedded in their daily lives.
Michelson et al.
s cited in Ramdhani, 1.
explain that social skills are abilities acquired through learning processes, related to interacting and building relationships in an appropriate and effective manner.
Children acquire social skills through the teaching of fundamental values, beliefs, communication strategies, and life skills taught by the extended family.
Within the extended family environment, children learn how to communicate and socialize through direct interactions with family members.
They also receive support in the form of encouragement and positive reinforcement, which strengthens their self confidence and ability to adapt to various social situations.
This learning process occurs not only through direct instruction but also through play activities, which serve as an important medium for developing social skills.
Through play, children gain space to be creative, explore, discover new things, and express their feelings.
Play activities help PMI children learn cooperation, responsibility, and idea development in an enjoyable and supportive environment.
In addition to play, sports activities such as swimming, volleyball, pencak silat, or badminton also serve as effective means of developing social skills.
Sports involve interaction with peers, teamwork, and discipline development, all of which contribute to the childAos ability to interact effectively within their social environment.
The extended family also frequently involves PMI children in village activities, communal work, or family gatherings.
By participating in such activities.
PMI children learn the importance of cooperation, tolerance, and social responsibility.
Moreover, engagement in the community through the extended family allows children to build broader relationships with the surrounding society.
This process helps them becomeindependent individuals, with strong social skills, and the ability to make positive contributions to community life.
Furthermore, the extended family shapes the mindset of PMI children through discussions and stories about cultural values in Desa Compreng.
In family discussions, children are taught to respect traditions, maintain kinship relationships, and understand the social norms in their community.
This process not only enriches their perspectives but also strengthens their identity as part of a larger community.
Healthy social interaction begins with a sense of security formed through early attachment.
Children who develop secure attachment are more likely to explore their social environment because they feel they have a secure base to return to when facing challenges (Bowlby, 1.
For left-behind children of Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI), the extended family functions as a substitute secure base, providing a sense of safety that encourages them to participate in social activities both in the village and at school.
Social skills also develop through responsive caregiving patterns that encourage children to try new things while continuing to provide emotional support (Ainsworth, 1.
With such secure attachment bonds, left-behind PMI children are less likely to withdraw .
voidant attachmen.
from social relationships.
However, there are challenges in that extended family members in Compreng Village who take on caregiving roles for migrant workersAo children must possess adequate knowledge of child development.
When extended families lack sufficient understanding of child growth and development, it may hinder the childAos optimal development.
In attachment theory, a caregiverAos limited awareness of developmental needs can disrupt the formation of secure attachment.
Bowlby emphasized the importance of caregiver sensitivity and consistency in responding to a childAos needs.
Without an understanding of developmental stages, caregivers are more likely to provide inappropriate stimulation and insufficient emotional support.
Consequently, caregiving may become uninvolved, potentially leading to the development of insecure attachment where children may experience anxiety, low self-confidence, and difficulty regulating their emotions.
2 Daily caregiving Caregivers play a crucial role in supporting the growth and development of children.
A caregiver is defined as an individual responsible for nurturing, caring for, managing, and educating children with adequate skills and experience.
They are entrusted with the responsibility of substituting parental roles while the parents are working (Badariyah, 2.
In this context, the caregiving role is taken by the PMI extended family.
The extended family in Compreng Village plays a central role in fulfilling the basic needs of migrant workersAo children.
Daily responsibilities, such as providing food, maintaining cleanliness, and supervising study activities, are primary tasks entrusted to the extended family.
This highlights the importance of extended families in supporting the well-being of children whose parents work abroad.
Additionally, daily caregiving for the children of PMI involves offering constructive advice, instilling positive values through the example of respected role models, familiarizing children with structured routines, and fostering a sense of responsibility from an early age.
Children are also encouraged to participate in activities at the Quranic Education Park (TPA) as part of character building and reinforcing spiritual values.
Moreover, extended families involve children in farming activities in gardens or rice fields as part of practical life lessons.
Children are taught to plant crops such as vegetables or rice, the proceeds of which can be used for family consumption or sold to supplement Progress in Social Development: Volume 6 No.
2 (July 2.
the household income.
These activities not only help meet daily needs but also provide an understanding of the importance of hard work, independence, and responsibility towards the surrounding environment.
Based on the interviews conducted, the informants revealed that they were motivated to care for their nieces and nephews due to a sense of love and family responsibility, as well as the awareness that their relatives needed to work abroad to improve the familyAos economic situation and meet basic needs.
They wanted to ensure that the child received proper care.
As one informant.
Wati, who cares for her younger sibling's child.
AuYes, my younger siblingAos child whose parent works abroad lives with my family.
Every day.
I take care of everything from meals and school to their religious studies.
They also ask me for pocket money, and I treat them no differently than my own child.
Ay The extended family of migrant workersAo children treats the child in their care as their own, meeting the child's needs without differentiating them from other family members.
This is done because the family feels a sense of responsibility that aligns with the trust given by the childAos parents before they leave to work abroad as migrant workers.
With such significant roles, the extended family becomes the main pillar supporting the well being of migrant workersAo children in the absence of their parents.
The quality of early emotional relationships between a child and their caregiver plays a crucial role in establishing a secure base that influences the childAos socio-emotional development (Bowlby, 1.
For leftbehind children of Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI), the extended family serves as a substitute primary caregiver, providing both emotional and physical attachment.
By offering consistent, loving, and sensitive responses to the childAos needs, the extended family enables the development of secure attachment even in the absence of biological parents.
Acting as caregivers, they provide comfort when the child is anxious and encouragement when the child seeks to explore, thereby fostering strong trust.
Extended families, as the primary support system for children of PMIs, often face layered responsibilities.
They not only care for the children whose parents are working abroad but also raise their own children.
This role involves nurturing, educating, and providing emotional attention to children while balancing the challenge of limited time and energy.
Beyond childcare duties, extended family members are often responsible for heavy household tasks such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, and meeting the familyAos basic needs.
They may also care for elderly parents or relatives with special needs, adding to the pressure of managing multiple roles.
As Wati, who cares for her siblingAos child working as a PMI, expressed:
AuI have to make sure my nieceAos needs are met, from meals, clothing, school, allowance, and religious studies, everything, including emotional support when she feels sad.
At home.
I also have my husband, my young child, my mother, and my sick mother-in-law who needs care.
At home there is another niece from a distant relative too.
I also run a small home business taking orders for mango cookies, sambal, and mango crackers too.
Ay In the midst of complex domestic responsibilities, extended families often must also work to meet their householdAos economic needs.
Some take on additional jobs or run small businesses to sustain daily necessities.
This dual role demands not only physical endurance but also immense patience and sacrifice, particularly when resources are limited.
In Compreng Village, these dual responsibilities demand both physical capability and mental resilience.
Daily life involves balancing multiple obligations from caring for children to ensuring the familyAos needs are met often under constraints of time, energy, and finances.
Geographic conditions further intensify the workload, as most residents work in agriculture.
After completing household chores and caring for children, many still spend hours in the fields, leaving little time for rest or personal needs.
Nevertheless, they strive to maintain family harmony and fulfill their social roles within the community.
Local community support serves as a crucial pillar amid the pressures of these dual roles.
The enduring tradition of gotong royong .
utual assistanc.
fosters solidarity, whether through advising PMI children or sharing harvest yields.
This emotional support and collective spirit function as an external secure base, allowing children to feel safe despite the absence of their parents.
In line with PutnamAos .
concept of social capital, social networks, mutual trust norms, and collective action such as gotong royong strengthen the resilience of extended families in facing economic and social pressures.
3 Psychosocial support Psychosocial support refers to a form of assistance that includes attention, motivational encouragement, information sharing, positive interactions, and material aid provided by family members or other individuals.
This support plays a crucial role in improving an individualAos quality of life (Sherbourne & Stewart, 1.
According to Sherbourne and Stewart .
, psychosocial support can be categorized into several forms:
emotional support, which includes care and empathy.
instrumental support, which involves practical or material informational support, which provides advice or guidance to help individuals cope with challenges.
appraisal support, which consists of feedback or positive reinforcement.
and supportive social interactions, which foster a sense of belonging and positive relationships with others.
The extended family plays a crucial role in providing psychosocial support to the children of migrant When children feel sad or experience the absence of their parents, the extended family serves as a source of comfort and strength.
They not only fulfill the childrenAos physical needs, such as food and clothing, but also provide genuine affection and attention.
This form of support is essential for maintaining the emotional stability of the children and helping them navigate the challenges resulting from their parents' migration.
expressed by one informant.
Yadi:
AuI once worked abroad and had to leave my child behind.
Now, my sibling, who is working overseas, has entrusted their child to me.
It is a huge responsibility, not just about providing food and education but also meeting their social and emotional needs.
ThatAos why I take on the role of a substitute parent, giving attention, providing love, disciplining them when necessary, and offering guidance when needed.
Most importantly.
I ensure that my siblingAos child is involved in social interactions within the community so they donAot feel lonely and can build relationships.
I also make sure that communication with their parents abroad remains smooth through phone calls.
Ay The study findings that PMI children raised by extended family receive emotional support through attention, empathy, and efforts to provide them with a sense of security in the absence of their parents.
Instrumental support is evident in meeting childrenAos daily needs, such as providing food, clothing, and shelter.
Informational support is reflected in the guidance extended family members offer to help children navigate daily life challenges, including education.
Additionally, appraisal support is demonstrated through recognition of childrenAos achievements, such as praise or rewards that motivate them to excel.
Abraham H.
Maslow emphasizes that one of the fundamental needs of children is receiving recognition for their accomplishments (Trygu, 2.
Supportive social interactions are also fostered through positive relationships within the extended family, creating a sense of belonging and reducing feelings of loneliness among children.
This social and psychological support helps PMI children face the emotional challenges caused by parental separation while also supporting their overall development.
Consequently, the extended family not only serves as a substitute for parents but also acts as a motivator, encouraging children to reach their full potential.
Furthermore, communication between children and their parents is maintained through phone calls or video calls.
Attachment is not solely about physical presence but also about emotional availability.
The sociopsychological support provided by the extended family creates a safe haven for the child a place where they can seek comfort when facing emotional stress (Ainsworth, 1.
Warm interactions, attentiveness, and empathy foster self-confidence and emotional security in children.
However, while long-distance communication with parents .
ia telephone or video call.
helps maintain the bond, it cannot fully substitute the physical presence needed to strengthen secure attachment.
Consequently, the extended family offers full support, recognizing themselves as the primary actors in minimizing the risk of attachment disruption caused by physical separation from the parents.
4 Education Children of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) in Desa Compreng receive attention in their education, despite not being directly cared for by their parents.
The extended family of PMI plays an essential role in supporting the childrenAos education in various ways.
They not only ensure that the children attend formal schooling appropriate to their age but also provide access to supplementary programs, such as enrolling them in after-school tutoring and facilitating access to Taman Pendidikan QurAoan (TPQ) to foster character Elementary school children attend school from Monday to Thursday, from morning to afternoon, while middle and high school children study until the evening.
After school, they continue their activities at the TPQ in the village to deepen their religious education and develop character.
On Fridays, although school continues from morning to afternoon.
TPQ activities are off, allowing the children time to rest or spend time with their families.
On weekends, children in Desa Compreng engage in various self development activities outside of formal education.
Saturdays and Sundays are filled with sports activities, such as silat and swimming, aimed at maintaining physical health and building discipline and self-confidence.
In the afternoons, after the Progress in Social Development: Volume 6 No.
2 (July 2.
sports activities, they return to TPQ for further learning, balancing their routine between formal education, physical activity, and religious education.
This aligns with the perspective of I Nyoman Subagia .
, who emphasized that character education is more valuable than moral education because it not only teaches what is right and wrong but also instills the habit of doing good for others.
To improve the learning interest and achievements of PMI children, the family also provides learning support at home, assisting with any learning difficulties as much as they can, and maintains communication with teachers to monitor the childAos progress.
This support is crucial as learning interest and achievement serve as indicators of educational success that impact the childAos future.
Sukiman .
states that families are expected to understand the childAos learning style, as each child has a different approach to learning.
Although the PMI children are not always directly supervised by their parents, attention to their religious education remains intact.
The caregivers ensure that the children perform their religious duties.
In addition, the PMI children have adequate learning facilities, such as writing materials and learning media.
All these efforts aim to ensure that the children of PMI continue to receive appropriate education and guidance, enabling them to grow into individuals with strong character and achievement.
The sense of security derived from healthy attachment provides children with the motivation to explore and learn (Ainsworth, 1.
By monitoring education and providing learning facilities, the extended family helps maintain secure attachment despite the absence of biological parents.
As caregivers, extended family members fulfill both the academic and emotional needs of the child, creating attachment patterns that strengthen the childAos confidence in facing learning In turn, children feel loved and supported, fostering strong motivation to achieve academically.
5 Financial management In Compreng Village, the economic condition of most residents is influenced by Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) working abroad.
The high earnings of these workers not only provide direct benefits to the migrants themselves but also contribute to the improved welfare of their families (Hassan & Jebin, 2.
Most of the income is sent back to the family to enhance their quality of life.
The money received is used to meet daily needs, finance childrenAos education, support family businesses, and even build more decent homes with better facilities.
Financial management by extended families in Compreng Village varies widely.
Some families use the remittances sent home in a consumptive manner, such as building large houses or purchasing expensive electronic goods.
Unfortunately, this spending pattern often leads to rapid depletion of funds, forcing PMIs to return to work abroad in order to meet their familiesAo needs.
This indicates that, despite receiving substantial income, unwise financial management can hinder the achievement of long-term well-being and may affect childrenAos sense of security regarding the availability of family support in the future.
However, there are also families who manage finances more productively.
They invest PMI remittances in long-term ventures, such as starting small businesses, purchasing farmland, converting assets into liquid forms, or funding childrenAos education.
Through such management.
PMI families not only meet their daily needs but also create more stable sources of income.
This prudent and long-term-oriented financial approach serves as a tangible success story that can inspire other PMIs to develop businesses, build assets, and achieve economic independence.
It shows that money is not merely a tool for meeting consumptive needs but can also foster entrepreneurship and a productive work ethic within PMI families.
Furthermore, financial management accompanied by mutual trust and emotional support from PMIs enables extended families to take strategic economic decisions for the sustainability of the future.
Successful financial management by PMI families impacts not only material well-being but also has a positive psychological effect on the children left behind.
With well-managed financial security, these children grow up with confidence and assurance that their future is secure, reducing anxiety over the continuity of their education or the fulfillment of their future needs.
Such success affects not only the welfare of the nuclear family but also contributes positively to the surrounding communityAicreating new job opportunities, boosting the circulation of the local economy, and strengthening social solidarity within the village community.
2 Critical reflection The findings of this study reveal that extended families have a significant capacity to partially replace the roles of migrant workersAo parents, covering social, emotional, educational, and economic aspects.
However, the success of these roles is not uniform across all extended families.
Differences emerge between families with adequate resourcesAiboth financially and in caregiving competenceAiand those with limited capabilities.
This indicates that the success of caregiving for children of migrant workers is determined not only by willingness but also by the capacity and quality of support available within the extended family environment.
From the perspective of attachment theory (Bowlby & Ainswort.
, extended families can serve as an effective secure base when they are able to provide consistent, empathetic, and child-centered responses.
Although many extended families manage to maintain educational routines, social activities, and childrenAos involvement in the community, challenges arise in sustaining communication with biological parents.
Longdistance interactions via phone or video calls may help, but they cannot fully replace the quality of face-to-face interaction needed to strengthen emotional bonds.
Therefore, the role of extended families in preserving childrenAos emotional connection with parents abroad becomes crucial to preventing prolonged separation In addition, prudent financial management can enhance material well-being while providing psychological security for children.
However, the presence of consumptive spending patterns among some families indicates a risk of long-term financial insecurity, which could ultimately undermine childrenAos sense of safety.
Financial practices that are not sustainability-oriented also risk reinforcing a cycle of continuous migration, in which families remain dependent on remittances without developing economic independence.
The implication is that efforts to strengthen the capacity of extended families in caring for the children of migrant workers cannot rely solely on existing social capital in the village.
More structured interventions are needed from local governments, educational institutions, and community organizations to provide training in child development-based caregiving, household financial management, and psychosocial support.
In this way, the role of extended families can move beyond being a temporary solution to becoming a sustainable, adaptive caregiving system capable of anticipating the psychosocial impacts of international labor migration.
CONCLUSION
The findings of this study indicate that extended families play a crucial role in the caregiving of children of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) in Compreng Village.
This role encompasses aspects of socialization, daily caregiving, socio-psychological support, education, and financial management.
Extended families function as substitute secure bases, capable of providing a sense of safety, guiding the development of social skills, meeting basic needs, supporting education, and ensuring the continuity of financial support for PMIAos These findings address the research question by showing that the role of the extended family extends beyond fulfilling physical needs.
it also includes emotional, social, and educational functions that influence childrenAos holistic development.
However, this role is not without challenges, such as the burden of dual responsibilities, limited resources, and a lack of knowledge about child development.
Based on these results, several recommendations can be proposed.
First, for extended families, there is a need to enhance caregiving capacity through awareness-raising activities or training on child development, including communication skills, learning support, and managing childrenAos emotions.
Second, for the government, there is a need to establish psychosocial assistance programs specifically for PMIAos children, involving schools, community leaders, and counselors to ensure their emotional needs are met.
Third, for educational institutions, it is recommended to establish intensive coordination with caregivers of PMIAos children to monitor their academic and behavioral development, including providing free tutoring programs.
Fourth, in the economic sphere, there is a need for education on productive financial management for families handling PMI remittances, so that the funds received can be optimized for the sustainable welfare of the family and to reduce dependency on repeated migration.
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