Declaration of policy and purpose
- The State policy is to defend the right of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition.
- The State provides special protection to children against all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development.
- Filipino children up to six (6) years of age are entitled to the best care and attention at family and community levels.
- The Act requires the establishment of barangay day care centers as the community mechanism to deliver that protection.
Program coverage and child consent rules
- The total development and protection of children program covers children up to six (6) years of age.
- The program is provided with the consent of parents.
- Parental consent is not required for abused, neglected or exploited children.
Required program components and services
- The program includes monitoring of registration of births and completion of immunization series to prevent tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, poliomyelitis, and such other diseases for which vaccines have been developed for administration to children up to six (6) years of age.
- The program includes growth and nutritional monitoring, with supplementary nutritional feeding and supervision of nutritional intake at home.
- The program provides care for children of working mothers during the day and, where feasible, care for children up to six (6) years of age when mothers are working at night.
- The day care center need not take care of children in one fixed place; it must develop a network of homes where women may take care of children during work hours under adequate supervision from the supervising social welfare officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
- If young children are left with a paid domestic, an elderly relative, or older children without adequate and competent adult supervision, the supervising social welfare officer must provide training and adult supervision until the children’s care meets adequate standards, enabling normal, healthy, happy, and loved development even in the mothers’ absence during working hours.
- The program includes materials and a network of surrogate mothers-teachers for intellectual and mental stimulation, and supervised wholesome recreation through balanced supervised play, mental stimulation activities, and group activities with peers.
- The program provides a sanctuary for abused, neglected or exploited children through either:
- one child institution in the barangay, and/or
- a network of sanctuary-homes for urgent protection needs created by situations endangering the child or exposing the child to cruelty and abuse.
- When a child must be rescued from an unbearable home situation, the day care center—through the help and support of the barangay chairman and barangay-level support systems—may call upon law enforcement agencies.
- The program includes a referral and support system for pregnant mothers for prenatal and neonatal care and, when proper, for delivery under conditions that remove or minimize risk to mother and child.
- High-risk mothers must be referred to appropriate tertiary or secondary care service personnel.
- Children at risk from any condition or illness must be brought for care.
- The day care center must be alert to illegal abortions and incompetent and untrained hilots, ensuring they receive needed basic training for normal delivery and training to recognize high-risk pregnancies, which must be referred to competent obstetrical and pediatric medical care for mother and child who are at risk.
- The program includes a support system and network of assistance from among barangay members for the total development and protection of children.
Implementing authority and barangay support
- The program is implemented by the barangay.
- The sangguniang barangay may call upon private volunteers who are responsible community members.
- Private volunteers must assist in the care of children and provide consultative services for medical, educational, and other needs of children.
Department of Social Welfare and Development duties
- The Department of Social Welfare and Development must formulate:
- the criteria for selection, qualifications, training, and accreditation of barangay day care workers; and
- the standards for implementation of the total development and protection of children program.
- The Department must coordinate activities of non-government organizations with day care workers and other social workers to fully utilize their services for attainment of program goals.
- The Department must protect and assist abused, neglected or exploited children and secure proper government assistance for them.
Funding sources, allowances, and program support
- Funds for establishment, maintenance, and operation of barangay day care centers are appropriated from the national budget and included in the annual General Appropriations Act as part of the Department of Social Welfare and Development budget.
- The province, city, or municipality concerned must provide financial assistance for the establishment of every barangay day care center within its locality.
- Accredited barangay day care workers must receive a monthly allowance of not less than PHP 500.00, charged to the annual appropriations of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
- The General Appropriations Act of the year following enactment must appropriate the amount needed for the program and day care workers.
- A portion of health programs available to the Philippines under official aid or official debt arrangements from foreign countries—whose amount is to be determined by the Office of the President—must be extended in support of day care centers.
Repeal and publication-based effectivity
- Section 7 repeals or modifies all laws, decrees, rules and regulations, and executive orders contrary to or inconsistent with Republic Act No. 6972.
- Republic Act No. 6972 takes effect upon approval and upon completion of publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.
- The Act was approved on November 23, 1990, and is titled as “Barangay-Level Total Development and Protection of Children Act.”
- The measure was finally passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on September 14, 1990 and September 11, 1990, respectively.