The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) trained Bahay Pag-Asa (BPA) Rehabilitation Team Luzon Cluster on Integrated Rehabilitation Model as part of the support to the BPA Project on June 19 -23, 2023 in Manila.
The activity aims to improve the rehabilitation team’s capability and skills (communication and coordination) in developing and implementing care and rehabilitation plans or intervention for children at risk (CAR) and children in conflict with the law (CICL) based on standardized clinical frameworks and principles.
Among the topics that were discussed were: Understanding the CICL, Attachment, and Brain Functions, Risk and Protective Factors, and Evidence-based Juvenile Rehabilitation Assessment for Day 1; Developing Children’s Cognitive and Affective Competencies, Life Skills Education, and Effective Parenting for Day 2; and Characteristics of an Effective Multidisciplinary Team and Case Analysis for Day 3.
Jay-R Cea, houseparent of BPA Quezon City shared that “noong pagdating dito narealize ko day 1 pa lang ay ganoon pala yung bata, merong malalim na pinagdadaanan na kailangang i-proseso, kaya bilang houseparent, gusto naming maintindihan yung bata (para) matulungan sila. Para paglabas nila sa center ay handa sila sa komunidad na kabibilangan nila”.
While Marilyn Yap of BPA Taguig mentioned the importance of the Multidisciplinary Team, “lahat po tayo ay may function, hindi magwowork ang isang BPA kung kanya-kanya tayo ng roles. Kailangan kung ano ang mapagkasunduan (yun ang gawin), para ma(pa)ganda ang (operasyon) ng BPA”.
The training commenced in the last quarter of 2022 in Mindanao and Visayas Cluster and is expected to conclude in the Luzon Cluster by the first quarter of 2024.
To date, a total of 50 out of the 81 BPAs, or 59% with 466 BPA staff composed of Center Heads, Social Workers, Psychologists, Psychometricians, and houseparents were trained.
“JJWC hopes that through this initiative, BPA staff nationwide will be equipped to handle CICL’s behavior and cases successfully so we can reintegrate them back to their respective communities,” said JJWC Executive Director, Atty. Tricia Clare A. Oco.