The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has released the guidelines for the nationwide rollout of the Psychosocial Support and Other Interventions for Adolescent Mothers and their Families Project, also known as “ProtecTEEN.”
DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said the ProtecTEEN is in line with the national priority to prevent teenage pregnancy and provide interventions for adolescent mothers and their families.
Following the successful pilot implementation in Antipolo City and Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, the project will now extend to all local government units (LGUs) and national government organizations (NGOs) willing to adopt the program.
“This project is the Department’s response to Executive Order 141, series of 2021, adopting as a national priority the implementation of measures to address the root causes of the rising number of teenage pregnancies and mobilizing government agencies, and part of the Social Protection Program for Adolescent Mothers and their Children,” Dumlao said in a statement on Monday, April 22.
“ProtecTEEN adopts a social welfare model of intervention that aims to protect the rights of adolescent mothers and their families as well as to safeguard and enhance their psychosocial well-being,” she added.
Dumlao said the program also aims to improve the teenage mothers’ ability to perform their expected roles as parents of their children by providing direct social services and assistance, referring them to other concerned agencies, and organizing peer advocates.
“The ProtecTEEN Project utilizes a child-friendly, gender-responsive, and rights-based approach to help adolescent mothers, their spouses or partners, and their families to create a supportive atmosphere at home, and an enabling environment for shared parenting,” she said.
The DSWD initiative aims to serve adolescent mothers aged 10 to 19, as well as their partners, parents, children, and other family members.
Interventions for adolescent mothers will include family healing sessions, family case management, employment, livelihood, and educational assistance, capability building activities, and referrals to other LGUs or NGOs.
“The project will also conduct advocacy initiatives to address discrimination and social stigma among adolescent mothers, as well as empower them to seek reproductive health (RH) services and other related interventions,” Dumlao said.