Introduction: Child Protection Minimum Standards and RA 10821 Training Manual
In 2007, the Philippines adopted the humanitarian cluster approach with the issuance of National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Circular No. 05, s. 2007 (Institutionalization of the Cluster Approach in the Philippine Disaster Management System). Among these thematic structures is the Protection Cluster led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Under the Protection Cluster, the National and Regional Child Protection Working Group were formally organized in 2009 following Typhoon Ondoy (International Name: Ketsana). With the enactment of Republic Act 10821 in 2016, the NCPWG and RCPWGs are mandated to ensure that child-centered initiatives are prioritized in disaster response.
In line with this overall goal, the National Child Protection Working Group (NCPWG) in the Philippines implemented several capacity building efforts for duty bearers, organizations, and institutions working along child protection at all administrative levels.
To harmonize these capacity building efforts and ensure its consistency with Republic Act 10821 and the global Child Protection Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Action alternatively called Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS), this training manual was developed by the NCPWG to capacitate and equip the individual members and teams of both the NCPWG and the 17 RCPWGs with adequate knowledge and skills to handle preparedness, mitigation and response in addressing child protection needs in times of emergency.
What are the objectives of this training?
This training generally aims to capacitate and equip emergency responders and other service providers with adequate knowledge and skills to handle preparedness, mitigation, and response in addressing child protection needs in times of emergency.
Specifically, this training program has the following objectives:
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Orient emergency responders with the salient provisions of Republic Act 10821 and the global Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, and demonstrate its relevance to their initiatives before, during, and after an emergency.
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Mainstream Child Protection in other humanitarian sectors, ensuring that child protection considerations inform all aspects of humanitarian action and minimize risks to children, in compliance with the “do no harm” principle.
Who are the target recipients of this training?
This training is designed for emergency responders including but not limited to service providers and technical specialists from government institutions, civil society organizations, and international agencies. Participants to this training may include service providers from the sectors of social work, protection, education, health, peace and order, and other relevant disciplines.