The National Authority for Child Care (NACC) on 18 November signed a partnership agreement with the City Government of Isabela City in Basilan at the Isabela City Hall.

The partnership aims to strengthen the implementation of administrative adoption, foster care, and other forms of alternative child care for abandoned, neglected, orphaned, surrendered, abused, or exploited children in the region.

The NACC-LGU collaboration is positioned as a strategy to reinforce these programs, recognizing that local governments are the frontliners of public services.

“This MOA marks more than just a ceremonial exchange of signatures but represents a shared commitment to protect, nurture, and secure the future of the children in need of permanent and loving families,” NACC Undersecretary Janella Ejercito Estrada said in a statement.

“It also signifies our united vision to strengthen adoption and foster care to ensure that no child is left behind. Because we all commit to making all means necessary, that when a child loses parental authority, the option of adoption and/or foster care is readily made available for the child, and that a family and a community are prepared to provide love and care,” she explained.

“This partnership symbolizes our collective action and united vision in promoting the welfare and best interests of every child,” said Dr. Jaylyn DC Sahipa, OIC of the Regional Alternative Child Care Office – Zamboanga Peninsula (RACCO IX).

“With the presence and participation of Isabela City Government, we reinforce our shared commitment to identify, nurture and support the development of more prospective adoptive and foster parents here in Isabela City – parents and families who can provide the love, protection, stability, and a nurturing family environment they truly deserve,” she added.

About 56 children declared legally available for adoption in the region are expected to benefit from the partnership. As of 17 November, 37 children have been issued an Order of Adoption and are now with their forever families, while eight were entrusted to foreign adoptive parents. A total of 34 children are under the care of licensed foster parents, and 125 children have been provided with adoption and alternative child care programs and services since 2023.

Under the agreement, the Isabela City Government — through its Local Social Welfare Development Offices (LSWDOs) — will develop a pool of licensed and trained foster parents, facilitate Parenting Capability Assessment Reports, and assist in the preparation and filing of Petitions for Adoption and Certification Declaring a Child Legally Available for Adoption (CDCLAA).

The NACC, through RACCO IX, will provide technical assistance, capacity-building, and technical oversight on the processing of such petitions within the prescribed timeline. The trainings will also include Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), a model that responds to the complex needs of vulnerable children who experienced neglect, abuse, or early-aged trauma, offering them a safe and nurturing environment for emotional healing.

Previously, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) adopted NACC programs as sub-indicators in the Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit (CFLGA).