Abstract

The barangay-level mechanism for child welfare and protection is called Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC). It pursues organized processes, including assessment, referral, intervention, and monitoring in child-related cases to provide children with the necessary support and protection. The function of BCPC is crucial in making a child-friendly and safe environment for children. The objectives of this research are to: evaluate the performance of the BCPC in Sta. Lucia, Quezon City and make recommendations for interventions based on the perspectives of members, volunteers, parents and teachers involved in child protection work. A descriptive type of research design was used in this research, and 38 respondents connected with or affected by the operations of BCPC were selected through purposive sampling. Data collection was carried out using structured survey tools comprising Likert scale questions, multiple-choice, and open-question options. The questionnaires were hand delivered and collected by the researcher to ensure accuracy, confidentiality, and high response rate. Frequency and percentage were used for demographics, weighted mean to find the overall effectiveness while rating scale to quantify perceptions, and ranking to identify key areas of improvement. The Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC) was found to be very effective in its core functions. The BCPC was strong in awareness activities, confidentiality, prompt response to reports, keeping of proper records, involving parents in counseling, and referring abused or traumatized children for therapy. The major weaknesses of the BCPC were lack of training, limited involvement of the community, lack of resources, cultural differences, and lack of coordination among agencies. The findings indicate that the BCPC in Sta. In its domain of child protection, case management, support services and child advocacy, Lucia is performing the way it's supposed to. The BCPC is doing the right thing by being proactive in cases and keeping confidentiality, while also providing appropriate support to family members. The BCPC is failing in the areas of training, community involvement, resource management, and coordination. Planning, resourcing and coordination within the security sector needs to improve at BCPC level with regular seminars /in-service training going forward.