Sunday, January 31, 2010

DSWD-9 forges guidebook for children’s shelter

A workshop aimed in creating a long-lasting manual of operation for the established shelter for children in the city was recently discussed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD–9).

Participated by the different children’s shelters of Pagadian like the Home for Children In-Conflict with the Law (CICL), Kaabag Women Center, the 3–day activity tackled on determining the target clientele who can be placed for temporary shelter while defining its programs and services.

Representatives from the first district municipalities of Tukuran, Mahayag, Molave, Ramon Magsaysay and Sominot were also present, as they took interest for their CICL referrals.

Assistant Regional Director Zenaida Arevalo facilitated the entire workshop composed of the inputs on the preparation of manual format presentation and the outputs as she discussed with the participants the modification and amendments of the formulated manual of operation (MOP).

Provincial Social Welfare and Development officer Conchita San Diego said the MOP states DSWD’s operational policies, its short, focused statements that follow the agreed regulations, operational policies and guidelines adopted for the Home for Children.

The formulation of the programs and services of the Home for Children is anchored on several laws like RA 9344, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act; RA 7610, the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act and RA 8369, the Family Courts Act of 1997.

It can be recalled that the Provincial Government forged a partnership with the national government agencies, NGOs and civic organizations for the establishment of the Home for Children CICL at the Provincial Government Complex to protect the rights of children in conflict with the law and respect their needs in the development of separate and specialized systems of juvenile justice.

San Diego said the Home for Children in the Provincial Government Complex in Dao, this city, is a classic example that “provides protective services and temporary shelter to neglected children, and to those children awaiting trial.”

She added that the center serves as a temporary home for the disadvantaged children and those in conflict with the law who are mostly male, where “immediate assessment of the physical, psychosocial, medical, and educational needs and the best intervention program that promotes positive behavioral change and skills enhancement are being determined.”

REPORT BY ZAMBOSUR PROVINCIAL PRESS BUREAU

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