TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has cited the Biliran’s childcare facility Bahay Pag-Asa Center for achieving Level 3 accreditation, the first institution of its kind in the country to receive this recognition.
The Level 3 accreditation is given to a child-caring institution like those for Child in Conflict with the Law (CICL) that has met the highest standard in key areas, including governance, case management, intervention programs, and sustainable management for rehabilitation programs dedicated to CICL.
Republic Act 9344, otherwise known as the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, mandates provinces and highly urbanized cities to have a Bahay Pag-asa Center, accredited number as which is about 114 as of end-2023, acccording to the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC).
Lissa Bermillo, provincial social welfare and development officer, said on Monday that among the strategies they made was the prioritization of staff training and strong linkages with medical professionals for psychological interventions of its residents.
She added that since they have reached Level 3, they will sustain the technical assistance given by the JJWC and the Biliran provincial government.
“Despite these achievements, we still need to regularize the staff in the center. That’s the goal. Our facilities also need to be improved, making the structure better and providing a sufficient covered recreational area,” Bermillo said.
The structural improvement is meant to prevent runaway cases, which the center has encountered albeit minimal, she said.
The local government built the center in Larrazabal village in Naval, Biliran, in 201 for CICLs facing rape, murder, and theft charges.
Currently, the center shelters 10 CICLs who are still undergoing mitigation.
The Bahay Pag-Asa is a 24-hour child-caring institution, providing short-term residential care for children aged above 15 but below 18, and who are awaiting court disposition of their cases or transfer to other agencies or jurisdictions.
(with reports from Christian Dave Noseñas & Cherry Mae Tabuena, OJTs/PNA)
