House bill seeking accreditation system for social welfare agencies inches forward

An accreditation system for social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs) may soon be established to ensure their effectiveness, efficiency and accountability in delivering services.

The House of Representatives has recently approved on second reading House Bill 7033, or the proposed Social Welfare and Development Agencies Act, principally authored by COOP-NATCCO party-list Representative Anthony Bravo.

The bill seeks to create a comprehensive registration, licensing and accreditation system for SWDAs for them to effectively deliver quality social welfare, development programs and services.

Under the bill, an SWDA is defined as "a non-stock, non-profit corporation, organization, association, or cooperative engaged in providing, directly or indirectly, social welfare and development programs and services."

In order to qualify as an SWDA, an organization's finances should be obtained fully or in part from any government agency or instrumentality, or from the community through direct or indirect solicitations and other fund-generating activities.

The bill provides for two classifications of SWDAs: social welfare agency (SWA) and auxilliary SWDA.

An SWA, for one, employs social workers, community development workers, and other qualified paraprofessionals who directly provide restorative, preventive, and developmental programs and services to the underprivileged and marginalized.

A SWA also may be a residential-based agency, community based agency, or a child-placing agency.

Meanwhile, an auxiliary SWDA provides supportive activities in delivering social welfare development programs and services like grant of funds, conduct of trainings, and other resources.

Auxiliary SWDAs may likewise be a people’s organization, resource agency, or a social welfare and development network.

Licensed and accredited SWAs as well as registered SWDAs, under the bill, will be granted benefits and privileges.

SWAs, for one, will enjoy technical assistance in the areas of capability building, packaging of project proposal, provision materials, and skills enhancement to strengthen program and service implementation, endorsement to other agencies on the availment of working visas of foreign board members, employees, or volunteers, and endorsement to the Department of Finance (DOF) for duty-free importation of foreign donations subject to compliance with the prescribed requirements.

An accredited SWA, meanwhile, will also be granted the same benefits on top of various other privileges including cash incentives, endorsement to the DOF for donee institution status and other tax incentives, endorsement for resource augmentation, and endorsement to utility providers for at least a 50 percent grant discount on electricity, water consumption, and telephone service costs.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development will also be mandated to reinforce regulatory powers and functions over agencies and organizations delivering social welfare and development services.

The DSWD will be tasked to collect application fees for registration, licensing, and accreditation and monitor SWDAs.

The department will also have the authority to register and license SWDAs and accredit programs and services of these organizations.

Non-registered or licensed SWDAs that operate will be meted with a penalty of P100,000 to P500,000 fine or imprisonment ranging from one to three years. -- Erwin Colcol/KBK, GMA News