Bali Governor Calls for Full Budget Support for Children in Care Homes

In brief: On 18 September 2026, Bali Governor Wayan Koster called for local government budgets to meet the basic needs of children living in care homes. Officials have yet to publish a funded scheme setting out how much each home would receive or when payments would begin.

The proposal emerged at an event in Denpasar where identity documents were handed to children lacking adequate parental care. Koster argued that providing meals, clothing, healthcare and education should be a public responsibility, easing the burden on the foundations that currently have to raise money to keep services running.

Most of Bali's 86 homes are not provincially operated

Figures cited by Bali's social services and child protection authorities put the number of children's homes at 86, supporting more than 2,600 children. Only one is managed by the provincial government. The remaining 85 are administered by district or city authorities, foundations or private organisations.

That mix of operators makes the proposed funding arrangement more complicated than a single provincial grant to one institution. It would require coordination across different levels of government and organisations. The announcement concerns children living in these facilities; it does not establish a general child benefit for households across Bali.

Annual costs must be calculated before funding is arranged

Koster asked officials to establish the annual cost of caring for children in the homes and coordinate the response between the provincial administration and Bali's regencies and municipalities. The goal is to relieve care providers of having to fund essential services through repeated fundraising.

However, the accounts published on 18 and 25 September do not specify an approved allocation, a timetable for disbursements, eligibility rules for individual homes or a start date for comprehensive coverage. They establish the governor's request and intended direction, not evidence that all operating costs are already being reimbursed. Until a formal arrangement is announced, existing funding pressures may remain.

The funding proposal sits alongside identity-document work

The same September event addressed efforts to identify children in need of support and improve access to civil registration. The provincial government discussed working with village administrations, customary communities and the agencies responsible for welfare, schooling, health and population records.

Identity documentation can be important when a child needs to access education, medical care or public services. Yet registering a child and financing a children's home involve separate administrative decisions. Families, care organisations and community groups should distinguish the confirmed documentation effort from the still-unsettled proposal for full budget funding.

• Bali Provincial Government, “Hadiri Penyerahan Dokumen Kependudukan bagi Anak Telantar di Provinsi Bali, Gubernur Koster: Kegiatan yang Mulia” — 25 September 2026.