As part of strengthening the DSWD Core Group of Specialists (CGS) in their role of providing technical assistance to local government units (LGUs), the Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau (SWIDB) conducted a Capability Building on Coaching and Mentoring of Technical Assistance Providers to LGUs from 14 to 18 October 2024 at the Development Academy of the Philippines. Thirty-four participants from DSWD Field Offices CAR, I, II, III, V, VII, VIII, IX, XI, XII, Caraga, CALABARZON, and MIMAROPA and selected DSWD Central Office - Office/Bureau/Service attended the training. The activity aims to enable the CGS to demonstrate competencies in coaching and mentoring as mechanisms for providing technical assistance to LGUs and social welfare and development agencies, with the goal of improving their level of service delivery. This training is the first in a series of sessions for the CGS.
Undersecretary Denise FB Bernos Braga, MD, of the DSWD Standards and Capacity Building Group, highlighted the crucial role of the CGS in enhancing the competencies of local social welfare and development offices (LSWDOs) in improving service delivery, which will contribute to uplifting the lives of the poor, vulnerable, and disadvantaged sectors served by LGUs.
Atty. Justin Caesar Anthony D. Batocabe, SWIDB Bureau Director, provided an overview of the training and emphasized the CGS’s contributions to the DSWD Academy, such as serving as course developers, resource persons, coaches and mentors, and contributing to research and development, policy development, and program development.
Coaching and mentoring expert and organizational development specialist, Dr. Pearl Bernardo, shared with the participants key principles, mindsets, and frameworks on coaching and mentoring, including ethical principles, the Goal Reality Options and Will (GROW) Model, and metrics for assessing progress in the application of coaching and mentoring.
Overall, the training enhanced the competencies of the CGS, not only in the technical aspects of coaching and mentoring but also in their personal development. The participants are eager to apply their newly developed skills with their immediate supervisees and the selected LGUs they have chosen to partner with as coaches and mentors.