Rehabilitation Programs For Children In Conflict With the Law (CICL): An Assessment Towards Program Enhancement

Abstract

In 2006, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (RA 9344) was signed and subsequently amended by RA 10630 in 2013. The latter aims to further strengthen the juvenile justice and welfare of the youth in the country and established a comprehensive restorative juvenile justice and welfare system. With the signing of the RA10630, local government units are mandated to establish Bahay Pag-asa Centers that will cater to CICL rather than the alternative which is to place them in jails, separate from older inmates. The said law also not only provided for the strengthening of the center-based rehabilitation programs, but also the strengthening of the community-based diversion programs, wherein the CICL is integrated in the society with a community diversion plan that was devised in consultation of the social workers with the BCPC, CICL, parents of the CICL and the aggrieved party / CICL. The research targets a center that already existed prior to the passage of the law and one that was established in accordance with the RA10630. Both centers are operating under the local social welfare and development offices. Their programs are aligned in the standards set by the DSWD. Hence, the research paper was primarily done to determine the effectiveness of the services in the rehabilitation centers for the CICL. In obtaining answers for the foregoing questions in the study, several tools were used, including the structured interview with all the CICL respondents admitted from CY2015 to 2016 using a survey questionnaire, non-structured interview with key implementers and documentary review. In answering the questionnaire, the CICL respondents agreed that all six (6) programs that were evaluated were effective in meeting their needs while in the center. The level of success in the implementation of the programs is evident in how the residents perceived the programs in terms of helpfulness in their rehabilitation. For the Malolos Tanglaw Center, seventy five percent (75%) of the residents agreed that the programs in the center are “Helpful”, while eighty three percent (83%) in the Valenzuela Bahay Pag-Asa considered the programs “Helpful” towards their rehabilitation. It can also be noted that the residents have positive acceptance of the programs implemented in the center. However, there are still problems in program implementation as indicated by the implementers such as the congestion within the center, inadequate budget allocation and insufficient number of staff as against the standard ratio of fifteen (15) CICL to one (1) social worker, and twenty (20) CICL to one (1) houseparent, who needs to be on an eight-hour shifting schedule. The programs for the CICL in the two centers in this study are standard in their components the form of (a) homelife, (b) health care, (c) education, (d) values formation, (e) recreation and sports and (f) skills development. The manner of implementation is dependent of the support of the LGUs in terms of budget, staffing and other resources such as the availability of volunteers for the spiritual and educational services.