The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through the DSWD Academy, is committed to empowering social welfare assistants, who play an important role in delivering social services at the local level, by providing capacity-building opportunities for them, Undersecretary for Standards and Capacity Building Group Denise FB Bernos-Bragas, M.D. said on Monday (February 19)

“To ensure the effective functioning of social welfare programs, it is imperative that the SWA as paraprofessionals, be provided with the necessary knowledge and skills in basic social welfare concepts,” Undersecretary Bragas said in her opening message during the first day of the ‘Certificate Course on Basic Social Welfare Concepts: Enhancing Competencies of Paraprofessionals’ on Monday (February 19) at the UP-University Hotel in Diliman, Quezon City.

In her message, Undersecretary Bragas emphasized the need to capacitate social work paraprofessionals as she acknowledged their value in providing efficient and effective services to a diverse range of clients, noting that they serve as important partners of the Local Social Welfare and Development Officers (LSWDOs) of their respective local government units (LGUs).

“A social welfare assistant supports social workers in the provision of essential services to vulnerable sectors such as children, the elderly, and individuals facing socio-economic challenges… You can change lives by providing aid many don’t even realize is available to them,” the DSWD official said.

Atty. Justin Caesar Anthony D. Batocabe, director of the Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau (SWIDB), said the five-day training program on basic social welfare concepts aims to enhance the competencies of paraprofessionals, specifically social welfare assistants.

“This training will capacitate social welfare assistants for them to be able to provide the appropriate support to the social workers of the LGUs and other agencies in the delivery of social welfare and development and social protection programs and services,”  Director Batocabe said while providing the participants an overview of the program.

Among the topics under the course are the concepts of social protection, general principles of social work, understanding the clients’ dynamics, case and program management process, and psychological first aid which will guide them to understand their functions better and apply the basic foundation of social work as guide in providing services.

“This is the third batch of participants to take the course on basic concepts of social welfare under the DSWD Academy since it was launched in 2023,” Director Batocabe pointed out.

Some 40 social welfare assistants from different municipalities across the country are participating in the training which is being facilitated by Dr. Finaflor Taylan, DProfST, RSW, who is also the chair of the Social Work Program at the University of the Philippines-Open University.

Dr. Taylan said that after completing the training course, the participants, aside from getting a certificate of completion, may also earn units when they pursue a post-graduate course at UP-Open University.

As a priority development initiative of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the DSWD Academy will continue to expand its operations to capacitate LGUs and social welfare agencies in their provision of social protection services, which will in turn, advance the practice of social work and community development in the country. #