COLLEGE OF

DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY SOCIAL SCIENCES

ISO 9001: 2015
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
AND PHILOSOPHY
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
QMS-Certified DHVSU Main Campus,
Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga

SOCIAL WELFARE AGENCY AND MANAGEMENT (SWB10)

MODULE 1: CONCEPTS IN ADMINISTRATION

LESSON 3: SOCIAL WELFARE AGENCY

Definition

A Social Welfare Agency is a structured framework within which the administrative tasks are carried out.
It is an instrument of society, establishing through government initiative or through voluntary efforts to
achieve a social goal.

Peter Ducker outlines how a social welfare agency in its simplest form comes into being when “several
people see an unmet need, want to meet that need, get community permission to meet that need, and
accept legal responsibility for seeing that the resources secured, or made available, are used for the
specific purposes for which they were given rather than for some other purposes.

Types of Social Welfare Agencies:

Traditionally, the types of social welfare agencies include:

1. Governmental or public agencies – organizations supported by public funds or taxes.

2. Private or voluntary agencies – organizations supported by private contributions or donations or
income from services. These are popular referred to as Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)
3. Semi-government or quasi-governmental organizations – organizations that receive some form
of subsidy, either in cash or kind, from the government.

Characteristics of Public Agencies

The characteristics of public agencies are:

1. They are created through any of these: constitutional mandate, legislative act, executive order,
presidential decree, or letter of instruction.
2. Their existence, functions and programs are created by law or executive order, hence, may only
be changed or modified by law or executive order.
3. Their organizational structure is bureaucratic and less flexible than private agencies.
4. They must conform with the government procedures, especially the accounting and auditing of
funds, property and other resources.
 COLLEGE OF
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY SOCIAL SCIENCES
ISO 9001: 2015
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
AND PHILOSOPHY
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
QMS-Certified DHVSU Main Campus,
Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga

Department of Social Welfare and Development – a prime example of a public welfare agency.

The Philippines' Department of Social Welfare and Development (Filipino: Kagawaran ng Kagalingan at
Pagpapaunlad Panlipunan, abbreviated as DSWD) is the executive department of the Philippine
Government responsible for the protection of the social welfare of rights of Filipinos and to promote the
social development.

Brief History

In 1915, the Public Welfare Board (PWB) was created and was tasked to study, coordinate and regulate
all government and private entities engaged in social services. In 1921, the PWB was abolished and
replaced by the Bureau of Public Welfare under the Department of Public Instruction.

On November 1, 1939, Commonwealth Act No. 439 created the Department of Health and Public
Welfare and in 1941, the Bureau of Public Welfare officially became a part of the Department of Health
and Public Welfare. In addition to coordinating services of all public and private social welfare
institutions, the Bureau also managed all public child-caring institutions and the provision of child
welfare services.

In 1947, President Manuel Roxas abolished the Bureau of Public Welfare and created the Social Welfare
Commission, under the Office of the President, in its place.

In 1968, Republic Act 5416, known as the Social Welfare Act of 1968, created the Department of Social
Welfare, placing it under the executive branch of government. In 1976, the Department of Social Welfare
was renamed Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) through Presidential Decree No.
994. This was signed into law by President Ferdinand E. Marcos and gave the department an accurate
institutional identity. On June 2, 1978, the DSSD was renamed Ministry of Social Services and
Development (MSSD) in line with the change in the form of government.

In 1987, the MSSD was reorganized and renamed the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) through Executive Order 123, which was signed by President Corazon C. Aquino. Executive Order
No. 292, also known as the Revised Administration Code of 1987, established the name, organizational
structure, and functional areas of responsibility of DSWD and further defined its statutory authority.

In 1991, the passage of Republic Act No. 7160 otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991
affected the devolution of DSWD basic services to local government units.

Attached Agencies

1. Council for the Welfare of Children

 COLLEGE OF
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY SOCIAL SCIENCES
ISO 9001: 2015
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
AND PHILOSOPHY
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
QMS-Certified DHVSU Main Campus,
Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga

2. National Authority for Child Care (NACC)

3. Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council
4. National Council on Disability Affairs

Supervised Agencies

1. National Anti-Poverty Commission

2. National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
3. Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor

Programs and Services

1. The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program - The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or "4Ps"
(conditional cash transfer) is a human development program that invests in the health and
education of poor families, primarily those with children aged 0–18.
2. Kalahi CIDSS – NCDDP - The Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated
Delivery of Social Services – National Community-Driven Development Program (Kalahi CIDSS–
NCDDP) is the community-driven development program of the Philippine Government
implemented through the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Supplemented by
the government of the Philippines.
3. Sustainable Livelihood Program - The Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) is a community-based
capacity building effort that seeks to improve the program participants’ socio-economic status
through two tracks: Micro-enterprise Development and Employment Facilitation.
4. Listahanan - An information management system that identifies who and where the poor are in
the country. It is being operated by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty
Reduction (NHTS-PR).
5. Supplemental Feeding Program - Provision of food in addition to the regular meals, to target
children as part of the DSWD's ECCD program of the government.
6. Disaster Response Operations - Life-saving emergency relief and long-term response.
7. RRPTP - Recovery and Reintegration Program for Trafficked Persons (RRTP) is a comprehensive
package of programs and services, enhancing the psychosocial and economic needs of the
beneficiaries.
8. PAMANA - Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) aims to improve access of poor
communities to basic social services and promote responsive governance.

9. Protective Services Program - Assistance to Individuals In Crisis Situations (AICS) and Assistance
to Communities in Needs (ACN) Provides a range of interventions to individuals, families, and
communities in crisis or difficult situations and vulnerable or disaster-affected communities.
 COLLEGE OF
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY SOCIAL SCIENCES
ISO 9001: 2015
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
AND PHILOSOPHY
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
QMS-Certified DHVSU Main Campus,
Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga

10. ISWSFN - International Social Welfare Services for Filipino Nationals is a program for migrant
Filipinos and other overseas Filipino nationals who are in crisis situation and in need of special
protection are encouraged to seek assistance in the Philippine Embassies in their countries of
destination.
11. Center & Residential Care Facilities - Services rendered in facilities 24-hour that provide
alternative family care arrangement to poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals or
families in crisis.
12. Adoption and Foster Care - The act of adoption, of permanently placing a minor with a parent or
parents other than the birth parents in the Philippines.
13. Gender and Development - Gender is about relations—between men and women, women and
women, also between men and men and boys and girls. The GAD as perspective recognizes that
gender concerns cut across all areas of development and therefore gender must influence
government when it plans, budget for, implements, monitors and evaluates policies, programs
and projects for development.
14. BUB - Pilot tested in 2013 and now on its 3rd cycle, the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) Process is
proposed to ensure implementation of priority poverty reduction projects.

Known Secretaries of DSWD

1. Asuncion Perez (1950-1953) – First female cabinet member, Secretary of Social Welfare
Administration under Pres. Elpidio Quirino.
2. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (June 30, 1998-October 12, 2000) Secretary of DSWD under Pres.
Joseph Estrada who became a President.
3. Rex Gatchalian (January 31, 2023-present) recent Secretary of DSWD.

Characteristics of Private Agency

A private social welfare agency is created by a group of citizens who have decided to organize to meet
the felt/identified needs of a community or groups of people, utilizing community resources to render
social services to the people. It has a constitution and by-laws, a governing board responsible for policy
formulation, policies to guide its programs and trained personnel to implement its programs. It generally
draws volunteers from the community that help in social services delivery.

Characteristics of Private Welfare Agencies

Private agencies are characterized by the following:

 COLLEGE OF
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY SOCIAL SCIENCES
ISO 9001: 2015
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
AND PHILOSOPHY
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
QMS-Certified DHVSU Main Campus,
Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga

1. They are organized as a form of response of private organizations to meet people’s needs in the
community.
2. They may be national chapters of international organizations such as Red Cross, World Vision or
the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) and the like.
3. They may have been established by sectarian or non-sectarian organizations.
4. They are governed by their own charters, constitution and by-laws, and by a governing board.
5. Their organizational structures do not generally follow a bureaucratic pattern, and, therefore, are
more flexible in their policies and programs that enable them to readily respond to the people
and community needs.
6. Private agencies can pioneer and initiate demonstration projects which may subsequently be
turned over to the government. The latter can adopt the program on a larger scale with more
available resources and organizational capacity.

Regulation of Social Welfare Agencies in the Philippines

Republic Act 4373 series of 1965 entitled An Act to Regulate the Practice of Social Work and the
Operation of Social Work Agencies in the Philippines and for Other Purposes, regulates and provides for
high quality of ethical and professional standards for practice of social workers and registration and
accreditation of social work agencies as stated in Sections 8 and 23 of the Act, respectively.

While, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, mandates to set standards and policies to
insure effective implementation of public and private social welfare programs and accredit institutions
and organizations, public and private, engaged in social welfare activity including the licensing of child
caring and child placement institutions and provide consultative services thereto by the virtue of
Republic Act No. 5416 series of 1968.

Standard Development Cycle (DSWD AO 2010-002)

The standards development cycle involves a cyclical process and procedures in determining quality
assurance measures in all aspects of SWD program implementation to ensure quality services for
stakeholders.

1. Policy Review and Analysis

2. Development of Concept Paper

3. Presentation of Draft Guidelines to Policy and Programs Group (PPG) for Comments

a) Administration and Organization

b) Program Management
 COLLEGE OF
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY SOCIAL SCIENCES
ISO 9001: 2015
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
AND PHILOSOPHY
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 local 211
URL: http://dhvsu.edu.ph
QMS-Certified DHVSU Main Campus,
Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga

c) Case Management

d) Helping Strategies/Interventions

e) Physical Structures and Safety

4. Consultation, Validation, Endorsement and Approval

References:

1. Cordero et. al., (2013), Administration and Supervision in Social Work, Revised Edition.
2. UP Social Work Review Notes, 2013
3. Wikipedia contributors. (2023). Department of Social Welfare and Development. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Social_Welfare_and_Development