DepED to launch nat'l hotline, referral system to create accessible child protection unit
To underscore the importance of building an organized and accessible Child Protection Unit (CPU), the Department of Education (DepED) is planning to launch a national referral system and hotline.

“Every school must have a functional CPU that is accessible, that is why we will soon be launching our national hotline and referral system called TeleSafeguarding,” said DepED Central Office Child Protection Unit Officer-in-Charge Suzette Gannaban-Medina in a statement dated Friday, Oct. 21.
DepED also reaffirmed its solidarity in adopting measures to keep students safe at school during the AKO PARA SA BATA (APSB) webinar series organized by Child Protection Network Foundation.
The said webinar started on Sept. 29 and will end on Nov. 24, 2022.
Through the series, the organizers aim to create a roadmap for the future to address the identified gaps of the past 25 years and further strengthen child protection systems in the country and highlight current best practices in the field.
Moreover, the 9-episode webinar series event also plans to build a strong child protection system throughout the country by defining clear parameters and working together on concrete action points toward the effective institutionalization of child protection.
Meanwhile, DepED reiterated its commitment to strengthening learners’ safeguard measures in schools.
In a message, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said that CPU was created to fully implement the agency’s “policy of zero tolerance for such violence and abuse.”
The Child Rights in Education Desk (CREDe), she added, was also created to “ensure that basic education schools, learning centers, and offices of DepEd are child-centered , child-caring, and protect the right of the child in the context of basic education.”
Related to this, DepED noted that CPU also plans to continue capacity-building of Child Protection Committee (CPC) members nationwide by conducting E-learning courses on child protection concerns and CPCs.
The webinar series is part of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Child Protection Network with the theme, “25 YEARS: The Beginning, the Building and the Institution of Child Protection in the Philippines.”