The 12th Juvenile Justice and Welfare Consciousness Week started Monday with the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) handing over a training package and other services as part of the P100 million worth of the Support to Bahay Pag-Asa (BPA) Project.

A total of 103 BPA nationwide will benefit from this project, according to JJWC Executive Director, Atty. Tricia Clare A. Oco. The JJWC is an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

In support of the JJWC Week celebration, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian stressed the need for a whole-of-nation collaboration to ensure that the needs of children in conflict with the law (CICLs) and children-at-risk (CAR) are provided with the necessary care and attention.

"We, as a whole nation, must work together to implement the necessary interventions to promote the welfare of CICLs and CARs by providing them with programs and services, especially access to justice and education," Secretary Gatchalian said.

As part of the kick-off event on Monday, 20 November, JJWC Executive Director Oco and DSWD Field Office-CALABARZON Regional Director Barry R. Chua led the ceremonial presentation of the support of the BPA Project to Bahay Pag-Asa in Batangas City.

The BPA Batangas City along with 102 BPAs will be receiving training for the BPA staff and residents, therapeutic services, subsidies, repair and maintenance of the facilities, and capacity building for JJWC staff.

The support for the BPA Project is focused on improving BPA operations, preparing children for reintegration, and enhancing JJWC's organizational capacity to assist the facilities in improving their operations.

The BPA project, which started in 2022 and will run until 2024, is in response to the need for improved and specialized knowledge and skills in managing the behavior of children, conducting case management, and administering BPA operations.

"JJWC hopes that through this project we can successfully achieve psychosocial and economic reintegration of children in conflict with the law into their communities and families," Atty. Oco said.

The project also ensures the adequate provision of psychosocial services, recreational activities, livelihood, and life skills training necessary for the children's successful reintegration into the community.

In terms of capacity building, the support to the BPA Project strengthens BPA staff capacity along with project design, monitoring and evaluation, and gender and development which were issues and concerns that were identified by JJWC through profiling, monitoring, and consultations.