“The role of house parents is very important. You are the ones who are directly in touch with the children of tomorrow. Therefore, your success will be reflected on how the future generation will perform, how they will carry through their goals, and how they will shape our future’s societies.” This was the key message of Mr. Emmanuel A. Leyco, the Officer-in-Charge Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as he welcomed the guests and graduates during the Graduation Ceremony of the first batch of Training on House Parenting held last November 10, 2017 at DSWD Central Office.
Fifty two (52) house parents from 17 different partner residential care facilities (RCF) for children in the National Capital Region completed the 10-day training on house parenting. The RCFs include 6 DSWD-run centers, 6 facilities managed by city local government units and 5 RCF operated by non-government organizations. It was organized in line with the project “Ensuring Children’s Potential for Development and Independence through Improved Residential Care Practices”, a capacity building project being co-implemented by ACTION and DSWD and funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The training which was divided into three parts started its first leg on September 19-22, 2017. Child’s Rights Perspective, Self-Awareness, Organizational and External Awareness and Custodial Care were the first four modules discussed. These key areas focused on providing the foundation on house parenting. On October 4-6, 2017, three additional modules were tackled: Behavioral Management, Problem Solving and Crisis Intervention, which were focused on how the house parents may deal effectively with the diverse types of children in need of special protection. The last leg which was held on October 25-27, 2017 included modules on Safety and Security, Record Keeping and Program Maintenance. These modules focused on key responsibilities of house parents in ensuring the safety and security of children, as well the administrative responsibilities of house parents in the center.
Richard Estacio, a house parent from Tulay ng Kabataan said during the Graduation Ceremony that the learning from the training must be shared to other house parents in their respective centers. He emphasized that a true house parent must have a heart for the children and must have a heart for the job.
“Iba pa rin kasi yung meron tayong sinusunod na pamantayan sa pangangalaga sa ating mga tinutulungang mga residente. Malaking bagay―lalo na sa amin―ang lahat ng natutunan namin sa sampung modules na ito dahil nasa proseso kami ng pagpapa-accredit. Ang lahat ng iyon ay malamang makakatulong sa aming accreditation in 2018 (It’s different when we follow a standard in taking care of our residents. It’s a great thing―especially to us who is in the process of accreditation―everything we learned in these ten modules will likely contribute to our accreditation in 2018.),” shared by Racquel Dilao, a house parent from Bahay Pag-asa ng Muntinlupa City.
This training was made possible because of the commitment of trainers (28 social workers and 1 psychometrician) coming from the 17 partner RCFs. Twenty (20) of these trainers were also present in the culminating activity. Certificates of Appreciation were given to the trainers, DSWD Key Officers and all partner facilities for their invaluable contribution and active participation in the implementation of the project.
Ms. Edna J. Sacedor, the Regional Centers Coordinator of DSWD Field Office-National Capital Region, ended the program by congratulating the graduates and reiterating the message of OIC Leyco, that “the children are the future and therefore the training should help the house parents and all other actors in child development in providing the appropriate care to children so they will become productive members of the society in the future”.
By:
Evangeline Grace J. Balais
Project Officer
