From May 4 to 8, 2025, the Project COMPACT Year 3 team, together with Save the Children Philippines (SCP), conducted a Capacity-building workshop on Child-Centered Social Accountability (CCSA) and the promotion of meaningful child participation in local governance processes.
Held at Sarangani Highlands in General Santos City, the activity brought together government stakeholders and community groups from Polomolok and Alabel, including Child-Led Groups (CLGs), Community Support Groups (CSGs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and Male-Dominated Groups (MDG). The objective of the workshop was to strengthen advocacy planning and implementation strategies that enable children’s active engagement in local decision-making platforms, such as the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC), Open Government Partnership (OGP), and other community consultation mechanisms.
The workshop introduced a structured six-step CCSA framework, guiding participants through a process that included issue identification, stakeholder mapping, standard-setting, development of monitoring tools, data collection, and evidence-based policy engagement. Participants applied these methodologies through breakout sessions, utilizing tools such as problem-solution trees, organizational mapping, and community scorecards to analyze and address localized child welfare issues.
Furthermore, participants began drafting Social Accountability (SAC) Reports and formulating action plans aimed at institutionalizing child-focused advocacy efforts. These outputs are designed to foster sustainable mechanisms for amplifying children’s voices and enhancing government accountability in delivering child-centered services.
The activity concluded with a shared commitment among participants to advance collaborative efforts in protecting and fulfilling children’s rights through participatory governance.
