Training Manual on Republic Act 10821 and the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action

In 2007, the Philippines adopted the humanitarian cluster approach with the issuance of National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Circular No. 05, s. 2007 (Institutionalization of the Cluster Approach in the Philippine Disaster Management System). Among these thematic structures is the Protection Cluster led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Under the Protection Cluster, the National and Regional Child Protection Working Group were formally organized in 2009 following Typhoon Ondoy (International Name: Ketsana). With the enactment of Republic Act 10821 in 2016, the NCPWG and RCPWGs are mandated to ensure that child-centered initiatives are prioritized in disaster response.

In line with this overall goal, the National Child Protection Working Group (NCPWG) in the Philippines implemented several capacity building efforts for duty bearers, organizations, and institutions working along child protection at all administrative levels.

To harmonize these capacity building efforts and ensure its consistency with Republic Act 10821 and the global Child Protection Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Action alternatively called Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS), this training manual was developed by the NCPWG to capacitate and equip the individual members and teams of both the NCPWG and the 17 RCPWGs with adequate knowledge and skills to handle preparedness, mitigation and response in addressing child protection needs in times of emergency.