The Contribution of Remittances: a Tacit Knowledge of Parenting Capacity in Families of Migrant Workers in East Lombok, Indonesia Rika Nopitasari 1 , Johanna Debora Imelda 2 Departemen Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial FISIP Universitas Indonesia, Gedung Nusantara II Kampus FISIP UI, Depok, Indonesia 1,2 {nopitasarika@gmail.com 1 , johanna.deborah09@ui.ac.id 2 } Abstract. Global developments make the migration of workers abroad unavoidable. Using the UNICEF child protection and welfare framework, this study provides a tacit knowledge on how remittances contribute to parenting capacity in the families of male migrant workers. A qualitative approach, with participant observation and in-depth interviews, was conducted in East Lombok District to collect the data which then was analyzed through inductive axial coding. The study showed that the remittance pattern was largely determined by the father’s work. Remittances did not always contribute to the children’s welfare. However, the family’s stability and the fulfillment of the mother’s emotional needs determined the fulfilment of the child’s needs; therefore, the parenting capacity in family life increases. The interaction between family stability, maternal emotional needs, and remittances supplied by the father contribute to the fulfillment of the child’s developmental needs including basic care, emotional warmth, and child guidance. Keywords: Male Migrant Worker, Family Stability, Parenting Capacity, Remittance, Child Developmental Needs, Child Protection And Welfare 1. Introduction Migration is the movement of a person or group of people from a geographical area across political and administrative borders with a desire to stay indefinitely or temporarily in a place that is not their home [1]. The migration of workers is a type of migration. A total of 2.7 million Indonesians are estimated to work abroad [2]. Indonesia has the second largest population of migrant workers in Southeast Asia, following the Philippines. In 2015 Indonesia sent 275,736 workers abroad [3]. The East Lombok Regency is home to the largest number of migrant workers in Indonesia. There were 24,526 migrant workers from East Lombok in 2014, consisting of 23,213 males and 1.313 females [4]. The search for a better income is the main reason for migration, to support the life of one’s family and improve their welfare. This, however, is the source of a dilemma, asGraham and Jordan’s [5] study showed that children who are left when one or both of their parents work WESTECH 2018, December 08, Medan, Indonesia Copyright © 2019 EAI DOI 10.4108/eai.8-12-2018.2283908