DSWD, NACC issue guidelines to ensure unhampered adoption
processing services
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the
National Authority for Child Care (NACC), formerly known as the Inter-Country
Adoption Board (ICAB), issued guidelines to guarantee the continuous
processing of child placement and adoption processing services while the
Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for Republic Act (RA) No. 11642
or the “Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act” is
still underway.
Specifically, the Memorandum Circular No. 03, S. 2022 or the Guidelines on
the Implementation of Section 56 of RA 11642 or “Domestic Administrative
Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act” will serve as basis for the
implementation of Section 56 of the new adoption and alternative child care
law.
Section 56 of RA 11642 highlights that there will be a three-year transition
process for the implementation of law. During the pendency of the
establishment of the NACC, functions relating to foster care, issuance of
Certification Declaring a Child Legally Available for Adoption (DCLAA), and
adoption processes under RA 11222 or the Simulated Birth Rectification Act
of 2019 will remain under the DSWD.
Among the vital procedures which will continue to be facilitated by the DSWD
in coordination with the NACC, are: 1) Adoption cases withdrawn from the
court; 2) New petitions for Administrative Adoption; 3) Child case
management by DSWD Residential Care Facility (CRCF)/Child-Caring
Agency (CCA) and Local Social Welfare and Development Office (LSWDO);
4) New applications for adoptive parents in Regional Alternative Child Care
Office (RACCO) and child placing agencies; 5) Procedure for matching and
issuance of Inter-Country Adoption Clearance; 6) Procedure for foster care
and simulated birth rectification; 7) Procedure for Inter-Country Adoption; 8)
Procedure for disrupted pre-adoptive placement; 9) Process of registration of
the order of adoption; 10) Petition for rescission of the adoption; and, 11)
Travel clearance for cases under the NACC jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, for domestic administrative adoption cases and inter-country
adoption processes, a transition team composed of the DSWD and the ICAB
shall act as the NACC, with the ICAB Executive Director serving as
chairperson and the DSWD-Program Management Bureau (PMB) Director will
serve as the vice chairperson of the transition team.
The DSWD and the ICAB, which is now the NACC, will ensure the efficient
and effective implementation of the guidelines in order to uphold the best
interest of children at all times.
Interested or prospective adoptive parents may coordinate with the Regional
Alternative Child Care Office (RACCO) located in the different Field Offices of
the DSWD for application for adoption during the transition period and before
the issuance of the IRR. ###
