QUEZON CITY, (PIA) --The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) commits to strengthen the social work practice in the country by baring its plan to establish a DSWD Academy.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian shared the plans of the Department for sustaining responsive Filipino social workers amid the ever-changing landscape of the social welfare practice, including the establishment of the DSWD Academy during the celebration of the 2023 Filipino Social Workers’ Day on Monday (June 19), at the Social Welfare and Development Center for the Asia and the Pacific (SWADCAP) Compound in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
“There has to be a continuing learning facility in the department or in the country that foster specialized training for social workers, continuing learning ninyo (for you all), kasi (because) the world does not stop, it keeps on evolving,” Gatchalian said.
The DSWD Academy, which is the existing SWADCAP facility of the Department in Taguig City, will serve as a learning facility that will provide specialized training, capacity-building activities, and other learning development interventions to social workers to enable them to meet the ever-changing social work landscape.
Gatchalian cited the importance of the Academy saying “there are new technologies out there in terms of social protection, disaster camp management.”
To operationalize the Academy, the DSWD chief signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Chancellor Melinda DP. Bandalaria and heads and representatives of the ASEAN Social Work Consortium-Philippines (ASWC-PH) member-associations. This became the highlight of the Filipino Social Workers Day celebration.
Under the signed MOU, the member-organizations of ASWC-PH and the UPOU will serve as learning service providers for the DSWD Academy as well as partners of the Department in providing technical assistance to social welfare and development intermediaries and other stakeholders.
Part of the Academy’s thrust is the empowerment of social welfare assistants, including those who work at the local government units (LGUs) as social welfare aides, and early child-hood development workers, among others, to learn the skill sets of social workers.
“While we are developing and fostering upgraded skills for social workers, we are also empowering social welfare assistants and private individuals who are conducting social work practice,” Gatchalian said.