The National Authority for Child Care Regional Alternative Child Care Office in the Ilocos Region (NACC-RACCO1) is actively encouraging eligible residents to step up as licensed foster parents to enhance the national alternative child care initiative. Currently, the region has only 92 licensed foster parents, a number that officials believe is insufficient to meet the needs of children requiring care.
Marinald Cutiyog, a social welfare officer at NACC-RACCO1, detailed the distribution of these foster parents across the region: 33 in Pangasinan, 15 in Ilocos Norte, another 15 in Ilocos Sur, and 29 in La Union. These foster parents are located in various towns including Bauang and Santol in La Union, Laoag in Ilocos Norte, Narvacan, Tagudin, and Cervantes in Ilocos Sur, and Sta. Barbara and Laoac in Pangasinan.
NACC-RACCO1 supports its foster parents with a range of services, including counseling, parenting and child care training, respite care, skills training, and livelihood assistance. Cutiyog emphasized that the license issued by NACC not only authorizes foster parents to care for children but also acts as a protective measure for the families involved.
The Philippine Foster Care Program, initiated in 2012 in collaboration with local government units and aligned with the Foster Care Act of 2012 (Republic Act 10165), seeks to expand the pool of foster families. The program’s goal is to offer temporary, substitute parental care to children who need special protection and those with special needs. Despite these efforts, the number of foster parents remains low, prompting NACC-RACCO1 to call for more community members to participate in this vital program.