The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has a total of 76 centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs) nationwide which cater to all sectors—from children to older persons.
“From the children’s sector up to the older persons’ sector, those are all being served by the DSWD,” Assistant Secretary for Statutory Programs Ada Colico said.
Residential care services are the alternative form of family care providing 24-hour group living on a temporary basis to individuals whose needs cannot be adequately met by their own families and relatives over a period of time.
Center-based services are rendered in non-residential facilities on a daily basis or during the day, addressing immediate crisis or developmental concerns of an individual, group or family.
Colico said clients of non-residential care facilities have families to return to after a brief treatment or after undergoing developmental activities.
“Particularly, for our care facilities, we have 26 catering to the children sector. For the youth sector we have 16 facilities; for the women sector we have 17 facilities; for the older persons we have four; for the family we have five; and ten for the persons with disabilities,” Colico said.
For children in need of special protection, there are Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC) for 0-6 year-old boys and girls who are abandoned, neglected and surrendered; Haven for Children for 7-13 year-old boys who are recovering from substance abuse; Lingap Center for 7-17 year-old boys and girls who are in street situation; and Nayon ng Kabataan for 7-17 year-old boys and girls who are abused, orphaned, abandoned, neglected and exploited, among others.
For children and youth in conflict with the law (CICL), the DSWD operates the Regional Rehabilitation Center for the Youth (RRCY); MIMAROPA Youth Center; and the National Training School for Boys (NTSB) in Tanay, Rizal.
According to the DSWD official, the timeline for rehabilitation of children inside the residential care facilities is around six months but there are cases where they need to stay longer.
For children who are already 18 years old but have no relatives to take them, the DSWD facilities prepare them to have an independent living to ensure that they can stand on their own before being reintegrated to the community.
