GUIDELINES ON THE STRENGTHENING
OF PROTECTION PROGRAMS FOR
CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN STREET
SITUATION
MODULE 1:
RATIONALE FRAMEWORK OF INTERVENTION
OBJECTIVES INPUTS
LEGAL BASIS PROCESSES & APPROACHES
DEFINITION OF TERMS OUTPUT & OBJECTIVES
RATIONALE:
OBJECTIVES
legal basis
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, particularly,
○ Section 12. Article II, recognizing the sanctity of family life, and the natural and primary
right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and development
of moral character.
○ Section 22, Article II, recognizing and promoting the rights of indigenous cultural
communities within the framework of national unity and development.
○ Section 1, Article III, stating that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property
without due process of law nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of law.
○ Section 1, Article XV, recognizing the Filipino family as the foundation of the nation and
the commitment to strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its total development.
○ Section 3(2), Article XV, acknowledging the State’s responsibility to defend the right
of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special protection from
all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their
development.
Family Code of the Philippines (Executive Order 209 s. 1987), Articles. 209
and 217
Child and Youth Welfare Code (Presidential Decree 603 s. 1974), Articles 1,
21, 87
Local Government Code (Republic Act 7160)
Full Devolution of Certain Functions of the Executive Branch to Local
Governments (Executive Order No. 138 s. 2021)
Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and
Discrimination Act (Republic Act 7610), Section 27, 28
Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, As Amended (Republic Act 10630, 2012),
Section 20 PAGE 2 of 4
Foster Care Act of 2012 (Republic Act 10165), Section 4
Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act (Republic
Act 11642)
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC)
United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child General Comment No. 21 on
Children in Street Situations (2017)
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Standards for Community-Based for Street Children (DSWD Administrative Order
08 Series of 2009)
Guidelines for Local Government Units' Social Welfare and Development Service
Delivery System, Amending Administrative Order No. 82 series of 2003, Standards
on Social Welfare and Development Service Delivery System in the Local
Government Units (DSWD Administrative Order No. 7 Series of 2012)
DSWD-DILG Joint Memorandum on the Conduct of Reach Out to Street Children
DSWD Administrative Order No. 10 Series of 2010 on the Omnibus Guidelines on
the DSWD National Volunteer Service Program (Amending for the Purpose
Administrative Orders No. 214 and 218 Series of 2002 and AO 1 Series of 2007)
DDB Board Resolution No. 6, Protocol When Handling Children Allegedly Involved in
Dangerous Drugs
DOH, NCIP, DILG Joint Memorandum Circular 2013-01, Guidelines in the
Implementation of Basic Health Services for Indigenous Cultural Communities/
Indigenous Peoples
DepEd Department Order No. 62 S. 2011, Adopting the National Indigenous Peoples
Education Policy Framework
DepEd Department Order No 32 S. 2015, Adopting the Indigenous Peoples
Educational Curriculum Framework
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC)
United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child General Comment No. 21 on
Children in Street Situations (2017)
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Standards for Community-Based for Street Children (DSWD Administrative Order
08 Series of 2009)
Guidelines for Local Government Units' Social Welfare and Development Service
Delivery System, Amending Administrative Order No. 82 series of 2003, Standards
on Social Welfare and Development Service Delivery System in the Local
Government Units (DSWD Administrative Order No. 7 Series of 2012)
definition of terms
A process of gathering demographic data, expressed needs, and conditions of the children,
PROFILING families, and IPs in street situations. Profiling can be done through interviews, focus group
discussions with children and families in mutually-agreed safe spaces or locations
This is a process by which child/ren is/are withdrawn or removed from the streets and
hazardous environment to protect him/ her/them from harm or abuse, and are brought to a
REACH OUT
diagnostic and assessment center for further assessment and case management for social
protection purposes.
definition of terms
CiSS) are children who: a) depend on the streets to live and/or work, whether alone,
with peers, or with family; and b) a wider population of children who have formed strong
CHILDREN IN STREET
connections with public spaces and for whom the street plays a vital role in their
SITUATIONS everyday lives and identities. This wider population includes children who periodically, but
not always, live and/or work on the streets and children who do not live or work on the
streets but who regularly accompany their peers, siblings, and family in the streets.
refers to a child who has no proper parental care or
ABANDONED CHILD guardianship, a foundling, or one who has been deserted
by one’s parents for a period of at least three (3)
continuous months and has been declared as such by the
NACC
definition of terms
ABUSED CHILD refers to a child who experience physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse
refers to a child whose physical and emotional needs have been deliberately
NEGLECTED CHILD unattended or inadequately attended within a period of three (3) continuous
months. A child is unattended when left without the proper provisions or
proper supervision
definition of terms
refers to a group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and
ascription by others, who have continuously lived as an organized community on
communally bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership
since time immemorial, occupied, possessed customs, tradition and other distinctive
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of
colonization, non-indigenous religions, and culture, became historically differentiated from
the majority of Filipinos. IPs shall likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous
on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, at the time
of conquest or colonization, or at the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and
cultures, or the establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their
own social, economic, cultural, and political institutions, but who may have been displaced
from their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains.
definition of terms
refer to families of children in street situations, including the IP groups, who have been
found living or working on the streets with their children. This also include the homeless
FAMILIES IN STREET families 8 whose income, or combined family income, falls within the poverty threshold,
SITUATIONS thus, do not own or cannot afford decent housing facilities for human habitation. This also
includes families who find themselves living in open spaces (such as in abandoned
buildings and vehicles, sidewalks, parks, car parks, stations, cemetery, under the bridge) or
in makeshift dwelling units with no basic facilities, pushcarts and do not enjoy the security
of tenure..
FRAMEWORK OF
INTERVENTION
All activities are geared towards “child protection” in accordance with the existing legal frameworks. As such,
children are considered as “rights holder” and shall not be subject to further harm from the activities identified.
Further, the duty bearers are identified in the three (3) primary spheres of protection for the child, the
responsibility over which is covered by either the family, the community or the State.
INPUTS
At the center of the program interventions are the children as they
are most at-risk and susceptible to all forms of deprivation, crimes,
CHILD-CENTERED
abuse, displacement, poverty, and enormous struggle during
MODEL
disasters while on the streets. The Department believes that children
should not be responsible for their survival and should be supported
by their primary caregivers to access their rights.
INPUTS
FAMILY-BASED
INTERVENTIONS
As the children’s primary caregivers and duty bearers, their families should be assisted to capacitate them
to support their children. Family integrity is protected by increasing the capacities of parents to earn and
provide for the sustenance and development needs of their children.
The Framework also recognizes that family dysfunctions or problems usually cause the children’s stay on
the streets. However, the children should not be separated from their parents except where it is
determined by a competent authority to be in the child’s best interests. A child must be provided with
appropriate alternative family living arrangements if deprived of a healthy and supportive family
environment.
The IPs in street situations shall also have access to social protection programs and services such as
culture-based education, cash for work, supplemental feeding, Early Childhood Care and Development
(ECCD), and civil registration. Advocacy through the cultural shows, skills training, and capacity building
from the government, non-government organizations, and faith-based organizations.
INPUTS
In implementing the programs, the whole community is seen as a
WHOLE OF COMMUNITY
valuable resource for the provision of direct assistance such as shelter,
food, clothing, medicines, and other basic necessities for children.
The problem of street children is a societal and general concern not
limited to any level of political borders and responsibilities. In spite of
any political or geographical boundaries, children and families on the
streets are part of the community. Parents, families, and communities
shall be actively involved and shall participate in the project activities.
The State actors, including the key stakeholders in the community, are
capacitated, mobilized, and organized as a network that agrees to work
collaboratively to reduce stigma, manage cases and strengthen
protective mechanisms for children. This is in recognition of their
mandate in carrying out a holistic and child-rights approach to protect
the children who are living in the streets for survival and development.
PROCESSESS &
APPROACHES
PROCESSES
TAWAG PANSIN the Intake and Assessment of Children, Families or
IPs in street situations
TULONG TUGON
Provision of Community- and Street-Based Interventions
TANGGAP KALINGA Monitoring and Follow-Through Interventions for
Long-Term Care and Protection
APPROACHES
Operating on a child rights approach, service providers shall
manage cases of children following the same rights and opportunities
afforded to other children to cover protection, provision and
RIGHTS-BASED participation. It ensures the provision of rights-based interventions
APPROACH
and comprehensive strategies for children, families, and IPs,especially
Sama-Bajau, who have been subject to discrimination and
stigmatization, and are less likely to receive adequate support,
assistance, and other social services.
APPROACHES
The programs are anchored on the principles of
transparency, participation, local empowerment, demand
COMMUNITY- responsiveness, greater accountability, and enhanced
DRIVEN local capacity. The IP communities are organized and
mobilized towards meaningful and active participation in
all phases from designing, implementation, monitoring,
and evaluation.
APPROACHES
To ensure the protection and promotion of the rights and well-being of the
children, families, and IPs, organizing and mobilizing leaders and their
CULTURE-BASED communities are done for them to become active community members.
The philosophical bases in working with IPs evolve around Indigenous
Knowledge, Systems, and Practices (IKSP), Free and Prior Informed Consent
(FPIC), Active Participation (AC), and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights (IPR). The
services and activities should be based on the IKSP of IPs.
This is in view of their values on:
● a holistic and spiritually based approach to well-being that emphasizes
harmony with nature, self-governance within their communities
● the priority of community interests over individual ones
● security of land and resource rights
● cultural identity, and dignity.
OUTPUTS &
OBJECTIVES
Overall, the programs aim to contribute to the reduction of risks and vulnerabilities of
children, families, and indigenous peoples in street situations through holistic and
rights-based case management and provision of options with a package of support
services.
OUTPUTS & OBJECTIVES
Children are safe, can access their rights to development, survival and protection,
and with good interpersonal and spiritual relationships, values, and character to
manage risks, protect and improve self;
Capacitated families in providing adequate care and attention to their children by increasing their
knowledge, especially on education, self-governance and empowerment, social justice and human
rights and cultural integrity, and improved economic situation and living conditions of families and
IP communities;
Proactive and functional communities that provide options, access and
opportunities to sustainable livelihood, community-driven developments, upscaling
their skills, providing health/nutritional services, and inclusion in existing social
protection programs and services;
Actively engaged stakeholders and established mechanisms for partnership in the
provision of a safe, humane, and healthy environment for children, families, and IPs
in street situations.
Thank you
MARY ROSANNE P. BIEN, RSW
Social Welfare Officer II
COMPRE Program Regional Focal
[email protected] 09369246351
