Amid the evolving landscape of the social work profession, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is committed to further develop its academy for social workers and paraprofessionals into a globally-competitive capacity building facility.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said on Tuesday (May 6) the soft-opening of the newly-renovated DSWD Academy is a significant progress aligned with his vision to amplify social work practice in the Philippines and beyond.
“The revitalized academy is the start of our vision to create our own capacity building facility not just for us, but for local government units, for the private sector, and hopefully for other partners around the Indo-Pacific region who shall gain from the experiences of the DSWD in social work,” Secretary Gatchalian said during the soft-opening ceremony of the DSWD Academy in Taguig City.
Established in 1970, the DSWD Academy was formerly known as the Social Welfare and Development Center in the Asia and the Pacific (SWADCAP) which provided capability-building opportunities to social workers and paraprofessionals in the country.
Upon his assumption to office, Secretary Gatchalian placed the revitalization of the SWADCAP on top of his priority agenda.
While the renovation has been minimized to a certain extent to preserve its cultural heritage, Secretary Gatchalian said a second building will soon rise which carries a more dramatic transformation.
The second building, whose construction is ongoing, is set to house a plenary hall, more lecture rooms, and practicum spaces.
“Hopefully, at the end of the year, we get a grander and formal launch as we operate the second building of the academy,” the DSWD chief pointed out.
Beyond the showcase of better facilities, Secretary Gatchalian cited that the agency was able to enhance its certificate courses, training framework, and modules with the help of local and international partners.
Undersecretary Denise Bernos-Bragas of the DSWD’s Regulatory Services and Institutional Development Group (RSIDG), which manages the DSWD Academy, underscored that the ultimate yielders of the learning center’s transformation are not just the social workers, but the very people that they serve — the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized sectors of society.
“This is just the beginning of the many transformative journeys that are yet to transpire within these walls. These are journeys that will bridge gaps and bring us closer to our shared dream of a just society,” Undersecretary Bragas pointed out. (LSJ)