Institutional Strengthening of the Department of Social Welfare and Development Project

Completed 11/98
Senior Staff involved: James Beaulieu, Team Leader/Corporate Planner; Howard Edwards, Deputy Team Leader/Social Policy Analyst

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is the leading agency and authority on social welfare and development polices, especially for groups living in poverty, in the Philippines. The TA commissioned by the Asian Development was intended to strengthen DSWD institutional capacity for overall planning and policy analysis. PSO analysts led the six-person mission, composed of international and domestic specialists.

Efforts focused on facilitating the transformation of DSWD from a provider of services to a planning and monitoring agency responsible for general sector oversight. The project team assisted by doing the following:

1. Preparing for the management of sectoral and organizational change

2. Formulating "functional statements of responsibility" for hundreds of DWSD employees

3. Preparing policy and procedural manuals

4. Developing a Corporate Plan to evaluate DWSD's mandate, roles, outputs and services. An evaluation of alternate organizational structures (responsibilities, reporting and coordination relationships) was also conducted to enable DSWD to implement the Corporate Plan.

5. Developing a Human Resource Management Plan identifying key skill requirements. Training seminars/courses in policy making, and social welfare/development were conducted to help fulfill those needs.

6. Introducing approaches and systems for data collection, processing, and upgrading including training seminars/courses for data analysis.

7. Conducting a comprehensive review of DSWD budgeting procedures

8. Expanding DSWD development processes to include participation by "stake holders" (i.e. LGUs, NGAs, NGOs, and POs).