The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through the DSWD Academy, rolled out the first batch of training for house parents of residential care facilities for children from May 19 to 25 at the UP-University Hotel in Diliman, Quezon City.
In her opening message, Undersecretary for Standards and Capacity Building Group (SCBG) Denise FB Bernos-Bragas, MD, said the capacity building for house parents is designed to enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes enabling them to provide effective and compassionate care for children.
“This training was conceptualized to improve and standardize the competencies of the house parents as the primary caregivers of the disadvantaged and vulnerable children in the residential care facilities whose roles are crucial to their lives, thus, needed to be capacitated in order to provide rights-based and child-focused parenting service,” Undersecretary. Bragas said.
Some 38 house parents from different settings and residential care facilities managed and run by the DSWD, local government units (LGUs) and by non-government organizations (NGOs), participated in the training which highlighted the latest trends and practices in child care, particularly for children in need of special protection (CNSPs).
In her closing message, Assistant Secretary for SCBG Janet Armas gave emphasis on the houseparents’ pivotal role in preparing CNSPs for reintegration into their families, placement in foster and adoptive families, and independent living.
“Nagpapasalamat kami sa mga house parents. ‘Yong mga practices and strategies, puwede ituro. Pero ‘yong pagmamahal na binibigay ninyo sa mga anak natin sa residential care facilities, hindi ito naituturo. Sa inyo galing iyan. Kaya mahalaga ang inyong papel,” Asst. Secretary Armas pointed out.
(We are grateful to the house parents. Practices and strategies can be taught. But the love you give to our children in residential care facilities cannot be taught. That comes from you. That is why your role is important.)
As one of the courses offered by DSWD Academy, the training on house parents of residential care facilities for children is aligned with the United Nations’ Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children, underscoring the DSWD Academy’s dedication to international standards in child care.
The DSWD Academy is one of the priority programs of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian that offer learning opportunities for the development of the competencies of its partner stakeholders that are needed in the delivery of social welfare and development (SWD), as well as social protection (SP) programs and services. #
