To further safeguard the welfare of children in the country, the DSWD Standards Bureau (SB), in collaboration with the National Authority for Child Care (NACC), successfully concluded a five-batch nationwide Capability Building Series for Social Work Agencies (SWAs) held from August to December 2025.

The joint training initiative, titled “Strengthening Foundations, Advancing Standards: A Capability Building Series for SWAs on Quality Care and Case Management in Adoption and Alternative Child Care (AACC),” aims to equip social workers from Child Caring Agencies (CCAs), Child Placing Agencies (CPAs), and DSWD-managed Residential Care Facilities (RCFs) with updated tools and knowledge to deliver AACC programs and services, including orientations on NACC MC No. 3, s. 2024 and DSWD MC No. 7, s. 2025.

The initiative covered five (5) strategic clusters across the country, providing localized training to address the unique challenges of different regions: Batch 1: Central & Northern Luzon, held from August 5 to 8 at the Somerset Central Salcedo, Makati; Batch 2: Mindanao Cluster, held from August 11 to 15 at The VIP Hotel, Cagayan de Oro; Batch 3: Visayas Cluster, held from September 9 to 12, at the Fans Hotel, Palo, Leyte; Batch 4: Southern Luzon, held from September 22 to 26 at the Madison 101 Hotel, Quezon City; and Batch 5: National Capital Region, held from November 25 to 28 at the Manila Prince Hotel, Manila.

SB Director IV Atty. Megan Therese Y. Manahan highlighted that the capability building series is a profound commitment to excellence in child welfare. “This joint initiative between the NACC and SB marks a vital step toward enhancing the capacity of SWAs in protecting children while upholding the integrity of the child-placing profession and ensuring that the “best interest of the child” is in place,” Atty. Manahan shared. 

SB representatives, Ms. Anna Maria Alexa G. Ledesma, Social Welfare Officer V, and Ms. April M. Marilla-Penaflor, Social Welfare Officer IV, both provided an in-depth discussion on the Guidelines on the Implementation of AACC Programs in All Public and Private Residential-Based SWAs Catering to Children (MC No. 7, s. 2025),” DSWD Guidelines on the Regulation of SWDAs and their SWD Programs and Services (MC No. 18, s. 2024), Clarifying Policies on Joint Assessment and Monitoring: Understanding the Complementary Functions of DSWD SB and NACC, and the Registration, Licensing, and Accreditation (RLA) System.

In addition, the participants received an orientation on the DSWD Harmonized Electronic License and Permit System (HELPS), a key step toward streamlining the agency’s registration, licensing, and accreditation, as well as compliance to the set standards by the Department.

Through these joint efforts, the DSWD and NACC are building a more robust and responsive system for child care and adoption. (MGCBA)