Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Emmanuel A. Leyco urges partner international and non-government organizations to collaborate with the DSWD to improve and strengthen programs and services that seeks to end violence against children.

To uphold its commitment to protect the rights and welfare of children, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) stands united with partner agencies in efforts to implement parenting programs that prevent and address all forms of violence and abuse against children.

Last week, the National Consultative Conference towards the Implementation of the INSPIRE strategy for the Elimination of Violence against Children was conducted by the DSWD with the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), and Child Protection Network to unite key issues on violence against children (VAC) and to integrate the INSPIRE strategy.

INSPIRE offers seven comprehensive, evidence-based, multi-sectoral strategies to eliminate VAC, specifically: Implementation and enforcement of laws; Norms and values; Safe environments; Parent and caregiver support; Income and economic strengthening; Response and support services; and Education and life skills.

In his opening remarks, DSWD Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Emmanuel A. Leyco highlighted the need to consider the National Baseline Study (NBS) on VAC  in the implementation of the INSPIRE strategy in the Department’s parenting intervention programs.

“We need to discuss the Department’s parenting interventions considering the baseline study results that point out that violence occurs significantly in the homes than any other place. We also need to answer the important question of how can we improve the environment that influences a child’s growth and development,” he said.

“Violence against children can be prevented if all of us in the global community act now, act wisely, and act together,” OIC Leyco emphasized.

Parent support interventions

Aside from the discussion on INSPIRE, resource speakers from the DSWD presented various parenting support interventions implemented by the Department such as the Parent Effectiveness Service (PES), Empowerment and Reaffirmation of Paternal Abilities (ERPAT), and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program’s (4Ps) Family Development Session (FDS).

One of the presenters, DSWD Field Office (FO) V Regional Director Arnel B. Garcia discussed their FDS Offline and Online Tracking initiative which is an e-monitoring tool that tracks grantees, parents, and guardian trends on FDS participation, and issues and concerns for case management and transformative values-oriented interventions.

He also highlighted the conduct of “parent hour” that allows parents to formulate their own module for their FDS sessions since they see that the sessions empower parents to influence policies and legislation in their own communities.

DSWD action plan on applying INSPIRE

Meanwhile, DSWD Undersecretary for Institutional Development Group Mae Fe Ancheta-Templa explained the action plan of the DSWD to apply the INSPIRE strategy in the social welfare and protection sector through the strengthening of capacities of parents, enhancing skills of service providers, and maximizing the tri-media approach to strengthen child protection messages and support towards the elimination of VAC.

Moreover, she emphasized the need to increase awareness among parents and children to prevent online child abuse and establish an enabling environment for the prevention of VAC and provision of protective services for VAC victims by improving and systematizing quality promotive and protective social, health, and legal services for them.

“We cannot tarry because we face so many challenges created by our country’s socio-political realities. These realities dictate upon us to do more in order to realize the potentials of the ‘salinlahi’ or the next generation. Realizing children’s potentials would mean coming to terms with responsive parenting,” she said. ###