CHILD PROTECTION POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN THE PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN REGION 1

The Department of Education (DepEd) shall ensure that schools are safe places for the education of the children. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate and analyze the gap in the implementation of the DepEd Order no. 40, s. 2012 or the “Child Protection Policy (CPP)” in the selected Public Secondary Schools in Region 1. Specifically, it determined the profile of the members of the School Child Protection Committee (SCPC), extent of attainment, compliance and implementation of the objectives, establishment and functions of the SCPC, and the provisions of the CPP, and identify the constraints in the implementation of the said policy. The descriptive-evaluative research design was employed with Focus Group Discussions (FGD). Findings showed that most of the respondents are qualified as members of the SCPC however they lack the necessary trainings and seminars; the CPP's objectives, provisions and the establishment of the SCPC were not fully attained, complied and implemented; there are constraints in the implementation of the policy. A Policy Recommendation and a Three-Year Action Plan for CPP Implementation in Region 1 were formulated as the outputs of the study.