THE passage of Republic Act No. 11642, or the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act, further strengthened the country’s commitment to family-based care. The law created the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) and reinforced the policy that every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a family environment.
It streamlined adoption processes, strengthened alternative child care programs, and emphasized foster care, kinship care, family reunification, and adoption as preferred options whenever possible.
The Philippines is also helping shape the regional conversation on family-based care systems, specifically adoption and foster care. Through the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the National Authority for Child Care, a series of Asean Regional Consultations on Strengthening Alternative Family-Based Care Systems is currently being conducted across the country.
The consultations bring together government agencies, local government units, child-caring agencies, child-placing agencies, civil society organizations, development partners, and other stakeholders to discuss ways to strengthen families, prevent unnecessary child separation, expand foster care and adoption programs, promote family reunification, and advance deinstitutionalization efforts.
These discussions reflect a growing recognition across Southeast Asia that children develop best when raised in safe, loving, and nurturing family environments.
This direction is fully aligned with the government’s policy on deinstitutionalization.
Under the leadership of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the government continues to advocate for moving children from institutional settings to family-based care whenever appropriate and possible.
Residential care facilities continue to serve an important purpose, particularly for children requiring immediate protection and specialized interventions. However, institutions should not become a permanent substitute for family life when a suitable family-based placement can be provided.
Local government units have a vital role to play in achieving this vision. Foster care cannot succeed through national government efforts alone. Cities and municipalities are urged to actively support foster care recruitment campaigns, identify prospective foster parents, and provide community-based support systems for foster families.
If every city and municipality committed to this goal, thousands of children could leave institutional care and experience the warmth and stability of family life.
Not everyone can adopt a child. Not everyone can work in child welfare. But many Filipino families can provide a safe home, a caring environment, and a sense of belonging to a child who needs one.
The success of foster care ultimately depends not only on government policies and programs but also on the willingness of ordinary Filipinos to become part of the solution.
By opening our homes and hearts, we can help ensure that more children experience what every child deserves: the love, security, and support of a family.
Foster care may only be temporary, but its impact can last a lifetime. A few months or years in a loving and nurturing home can help a child heal from trauma, regain trust, build confidence, and discover hope for the future. The care, stability, and sense of belonging that foster families provide often leave a permanent mark on a child’s life.
Sometimes, changing a child's future does not require grand gestures. Sometimes, it simply begins with opening your door, sharing your home, and welcoming a child into your family, even for a season. In doing so, you may give a child something that will stay with them forever.
