The National Authority for Child Care (NACC), an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), has partnered with the local government unit (LGU) of Santa Josefa, Agusan del Sur to strengthen services for abandoned and neglected children.

DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said this initiative, the first-of-its-kind collaboration in Mindanao, was a result of the LGU’s efforts to amplify local child protection mechanisms at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The initiative was spurred by the rescue of two foundling children who had been seen wandering the streets of Barangay Sampaguita. Sta. Josefa Mayor Richard Plaza sought assistance from NACC to establish a stronger and more responsive local child protection to address similar cases in the future,” Dumlao said in a news release Monday.

Signed on Oct. 21, the partnership agreement has included the LGU of Santa Josefa among the six LGUs nationwide to formally work with the NACC in developing foster care and adoption systems that ensure vulnerable children are placed in safe, family-based environments.

NACC Director for Operations and Services Imelda Ronda signed the partnership agreement on behalf of Undersecretary Janella Estrada, the NACC executive director.

Under the agreement, the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office of Santa Josefa will identify and train foster parents, prepare adoption petitions, and process certifications declaring children legally available for adoption.

Since 2023, at least 212 abandoned and neglected children across the Caraga Region have been assisted through the NACC’s foster care and adoption programs.

Of these, 55 now live with adoptive parents, 73 are under licensed foster care, and 30 have been declared legally available for adoption this year.

The DSWD has centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs) nationwide that look after the welfare of 7,000 vulnerable children, including those who were abandoned and orphaned, as well as exploited minors.

“In Mindanao, our DSWD’s Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC) in Davao City currently cares for 38 abandoned children aged 0 to 6, giving them the much-needed support they need while, of course, also preparing them for best alternative child care,” Dumlao said.

The DSWD spokesperson said the whole-of-nation approach continues to define the nation’s decisive efforts to institutionalize initiatives for children across the country.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Council for the Welfare of Children recently pushed for the integration of NACC’s child care initiatives into the Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit, recognizing these efforts as indicators of effective and responsive local governance.

“This keeps us aligned and united in ensuring that every child grows up protected, supported, and given a fair chance to thrive,” Dumlao said. (PNA)