CHILD PROTECTION SPECIALISTS

LORIE LAXAMANA MACATULA

The Department of Education has vowed to provide special protection to children gravely threatened or endangered by circumstances which affect their normal development and over which they have no control, and assist the concerned agencies in the rehabilitation of affected children.

To further strengthen the implementation of DepEd policies on Child Protection and to reiterate DepEd’s zero tolerance policy for any act of child abuse, exploitation, violence, discrimination, bullying and other forms of abuse, it shall train and designate Child Protection Specialists (CPS).

The CPS shall provide technical advice to the schools and their respective schools divisions on complex or serious Child Protection cases brought to their attention and recommend actions to address the same based on existing Child Protection -related laws and pertinent DepEd issuances.

The CPS shall likewise assist in the referral of cases to other government, nongovernment or other agencies for appropriate interventions or further case management.

The responsibilities and tasks of the CPS shall be as follows:

Network-Building.The CPS shall network and liaise with the different government and nongovernment agencies involved in Child Protection for the referral of complex and serious child protection cases. The CPS, in coordination with the Division Focal Person for Child Protection (DFPCP), shall likewise develop and update a directory of resources which can easily be accessed and used by the parties in the referral of cases.

Providing Technical Advice and Referral of Cases. The CPS shall provide timely advice to the school or schools division relative to complex and serious child protection cases such as, but not limited to, child abuse, discrimination against children, child exploitation, violence against children in school, corporal punishment, bullying or peer abuse and similar acts of violence or abuse defined in DO 40, s. 2012 and DO 55, s. 2013.

The CPS shall likewise assist in the referral of Children-at-Risk (CAR) or Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) to the proper agency for further assessment or intervention, in accordance with DO 18, s. 2015. Child protection cases shall be referred to the designated CPS from the schools division where the case occurred.

For purposes of this policy, complex child protection cases are those which involve two or more victims or two perpetrators, while serious child protection cases shall be those which result in serious physical injuries or death, those which involve any kind of sexual abuse, or those which require professional or medical intervention.

c. Monitoring of Actions Taken. The CPS shall follow up with the SH, SDS or ASDS on the recommended actions and the actual actions taken on the cases reported to them. The CPS shall likewise assist in the monitoring of the cases referred to other appropriate agencies for further assessment or case management.

d. Special Assignments. The CPS shall perform such other tasks as may be assigned by the DepEd Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs, their respective regional directors and SDSs, in urgent child protection cases and whenever necessary.

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The author is Secondary School Teacher III at Francisco G. Nepomuceno High School