THE National Authority for Child Care (NACC) has sealed a partnership deal with Antipolo City through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the implementation of domestic administrative adoption and alternative child care programs. NACC Executive Director and Undersecretary Janella Ejercito-Estrada said on Wednesday that the collaboration aims to enhance the delivery of adoption and foster care services, enabling more immediate and responsive support for the abandoned, neglected, orphaned, surrendered, abused and exploited children in the city. The partnership underscores the vital role of local government units (LGUs) as primary frontliners, bringing child welfare services closer to children and families who need them most, according to NACC, an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. “When LGUs such as Antipolo City under the leadership of Mayor Casimiro Ynares take part, we translate our shared commitment into action, bringing us closer to a future where every child grows up in a safe, loving and permanent home,” Estrada told The Manila Times. “This partnership demonstrates how adoption and alternative child care programs are realized through concrete services that directly respond to the realities of children and families on the ground,” she stressed. Under the agreement, the city government, through its Local Social Welfare and Development Office, will develop a pool of licensed foster parents, facilitate parenting capability assessment reports, and assist in the preparation and filing of Petitions for Adoption and Certificates Declaring a Child Legally Available for Adoption. Through the Regional Alternative Child Care Office-Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), the NACC will provide technical assistance, capacity-building and oversight to ensure the timely processing of petitions in accordance with established standards and timelines. The partnership will also integrate Trust-Based Relational Intervention, an evidence-based, trauma-informed caregiving approach designed to address the complex needs of vulnerable children who have experienced neglect, abuse, or early trauma, the NACC chief said. The Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Council for the Welfare of Children have adopted NACC’s adoption and foster care programs as sub-indicators in the Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit, further highlighting the importance of strong LGU engagement in child care and protection, she added.