As teenage pregnancy remains a national concern, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) strengthened its services for adolescent mothers to ensure their psycho-social well-being as they assume parental roles at a very young age.
DSWD Social Technology Bureau Project Development Officer Diane Gianan said they embarked on the project called “ProtecTEEN,” which aims to contribute to various government initiatives that help prevent teenage pregnancy and minimize the vulnerabilities of adolescent mothers.
“The ProtecTEEN project is the agency’s intervention strategy that strives to address the issue of teenage pregnancy. It is the only project in the country which provides a comprehensive package of services for adolescent mothers and their families,” Gianan told reporters in a media forum.
Piloted in 2023 and expanded in 2024, ProtecTEEN stands for Psychosocial Support and Other Interventions for Adolescent Mothers and their Families Project.
It is the DSWD’s response to Executive Order 141, series of 2021, which declares the implementation of measures to address the root causes of the rising number of teenage pregnancies a ‘national priority.’
The ProtecTEEN is a psychosocial-centered support that focuses on the need to address the multi-faceted challenges adolescent mothers face and eventually help them get through their circumstances and become productive members of society.
Gianan said the initiative of the DSWD does not only benefit adolescent mothers aged 10 to 19, but also their partners, parents, children, and other household-members.
The total family approach encourages spouses and other household members to become empowered, fostering a supportive home atmosphere and an environment that promotes shared, responsible parenting.
Among the DSWD interventions for adolescent mothers include family healing sessions; family case management; employment, livelihood and educational assistance; capability building activities; and referrals to other government agencies or private organizations.
These forms of agency assistance are designed to ensure that their situation will not hinder their right to education, access to livelihood opportunities once they reach the right age, and diminish their chance to straighten out their bad decisions.
Gianan said the program aims to improve the capacity of teenage mothers to perform their duties as parents through the provision of direct social services and assistance, referral to other concerned agencies, and organizing peer advocates.
“Inclusive of this are the agency’s close collaboration with the healthcare sector to promote reproductive health services and other related interventions among targeted beneficiaries,” the DSWD project officer said.
