The Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau (SWIDB) conducted its annual Knowledge Fair for Local Social Welfare and Development Officers (LSWDOs) from the 26th to the 27th of October 2022 via Zoom and Youtube Livestream. Eight hundred (800) social workers were given the opportunity to actively engage in the Knowledge Fair which serves as a venue for the sharing of practices, strategies and initiatives amongst the various offices in DSWD and SWD partners in order to promote the replication of exemplary practices. The social workers also earned 11 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units granted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
This year’s theme for the activity is “Strengthening Mechanisms for Effective Technical Assistance and Social Welfare and Development (SWD) Mainstreaming''. The LSWDOs and social workers hailing from both public and private institutions in the different regions around the country were oriented on the guidelines, frameworks and interventions that support the delivery of SWD programs and services in their local communities.
Some of the topics discussed during the two-day fair were updates on enacted laws related to SWD in 2022 and social protection such as the Expanded Solo Parent Welfare Act, the Anti-Online Sexual Exploitation Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act, the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and the Anti-Child Marriage Act were discussed by the Program Management Bureau (PMB) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Meanwhile, the Policy Development and Planning Bureau (PDPB) discussed the SWD Laws Monitoring System and its relation to integrating social protection at the local level.
Another topic discussed during the Knowledge Fair is regarding the mainstreaming of social protection in local government units (LGUs) which was also discussed by PDPB. The Social Technology Bureau (STB) presented the social technologies which are available for replication by the LGUs as well as how they can access the other services of STB as they develop their programs and projects. To close off the topics presented by the resource persons from the Department, SWIDB presented the capacity development framework for LGUs implementing SWD programs and services as well as the rewards and incentives for LSWDOs implementing SWD programs.
The sharing of knowledge doesn’t stop with the topics from the resource persons from DSWD. During the Knowledge Fair, six (6) representatives from the LGUs of Quezon province, Batangas City, Tagaytay City, Valenzuela City, Calauag, Quezon and Mahatao, Batanes were given the opportunity to showcase their good practices in the implementation of their SWD programs to their fellow LSWDOs. The presented good practices from the LGUs catered to different sectors such as older persons, youth and children, and women in their local communities. To cap off the activity, 4 LGUs and 7 DSWD Field Offices were awarded for the exemplary delivery of their programs and services during the Paglaray and the Knowledge Management (KM) Productivity, Recognition, Innovation and Development for Effectiveness (PRIDE) Awards.
The LSWDOs were eager to participate and gain fresh insights and learnings from the Knowledge Fair. A number of comments received in the duration of the two-day event had participants expressing their eagerness to apply their learnings and replicate good practices in their communities.