MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is taking steps to revitalize the DSWD Academy, a learning facility focused on social work and development, in a bid to enhance social protection across the country.
In an interview with ANC’s Katrina Domingo, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian highlighted the significance of having a learning facility that offers specialized training for social workers and social welfare assistants.
“We are reviving the development academy or this DSWD academy which is an existing facility that’s been around since 1959, and was envisioned to become a center of excellence in social work as well as community work,” Secretary Gatchalian emphasized.
To address the shortage of social workers and community development workers, the DSWD is also working on reactivating the existing Social Welfare and Development Center for Asia and the Pacific (SWADCAP) situated in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
“Being a social worker is the least priority of the students, thus, we are coming up with the DSWD academy so we could capacity build social welfare assistants,” Secretary Gatchalian explained.
By implementing the DSWD Academy, the department aims to provide learning and development interventions not only to registered social workers but also to para-professionals practicing social work.
“Social welfare is not just about giving out ayuda. Social welfare is about expanding social protection to our most vulnerable sectors, but we can only do that if the country is capacitated with enough social workers, community development workers,” Secretary Gatchalian added.
Secretary Gatchalian also highlighted the importance of capacitating non-social workers practicing social work, as it can greatly contribute to nation-building by expanding social protection.
The project has gained support from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who has already expressed commitment to allocate funds for the reactivation of SWADCAP.
The renewed DSWD Academy initiative aims to provide specialized training and capacity-building activities to social workers and non-social workers, equipping them to navigate the ever-changing social work landscape and meet the challenges ahead.
