Rehabilitation & Development Framework

In the formulation of the CFI programs, consideration were given to selected principles/provisions from various international, regional, national, church covenants such as: Convention on the Rights of the Child, Magna Carta for the Disabled Persons, Philippine Plan of Action for Persons with Disability. This is in recognition of the need to affirm the rights of the persons with disabilities to care, rehabilitation, self-development, independence and opportunities for full participation as well as integration into the mainstream society.

Among the salient development principles the agency subscribes to are the following:

1. Every person is unique, endowed with inherent worth and dignity, with the capacity to change and the potentials to contribute to his and to other’s well-being.
2. The Residential Care and Rehabilitation program shall be considered as a choice placement and not merely as a last resort only in the handling and treatment of children with disabilities.
3. Parents/significant members of the family/relatives shall, as much as possible, take an active role in the client’s rehabilitation process. They shall be encouraged to regularly visit the client as part of the treatment program. In the event the parents/ family members could not visit the client due to lack of resources, the Institution shall endeavor to facilitate the client’s visit to them.
4. The length of stay of any client in the Institution shall be based on the client’s needs as assessed by the Social Worker in collaboration with the rehabilitation team.
5. The clients have rights to privacy and confidentiality to which the agency shall respect and uphold.

The Cottolengo Filipino, Inc. – Saint Luigi Orione, Bahay Para Sa May Kapansanan, has two major programs namely: the Residential Care and Rehabilitation and the Special Education Services.

• The Residential Care and Rehabilitation Program provide an alternative form of family care, which provides 24-hours of intensified treatment through various services managed by a multi-disciplinary trained staff. The institution can serve a maximum of 40 children with disabilities.

• The Special Education School offers special education classes. The room can accommodate a maximum of 20 pupils.

These programs provide comprehensive and integrated social services to the clientele using family involvement, cooperation, and participatory inter-agency and/or partnership approach.

A. Residential Care and Rehabilitation Program

A host of services is designed to meet the special needs of the PWDs at the residential facility.

1. Social Services are interventions seeking to treat, rehabilitate and/or develop the social functioning of traumatized clients. A multidisciplinary team plan including utilization of appropriate social work interventions shall be undertaken for each client, starting from admission to discharge including social preparation for the ultimate reunification and reintegration with his family, or to an alternative/substitute family care. This entire process of activities in helping the client from admission to discharge is known as Case Management.
2. Home-life Service provides well-balanced and organized non-formal activities designed to assist in the treatment and rehabilitation of the residents. The schedule of activities are planned to approximate a wholesome family life which provides a supportive environment for a loving, caring and safe group living conducive to meeting the child’s physical, emotional, social, mental and spiritual needs and development. Moreover, home-life services the provision of basic necessities of food, clothing, shelter and other personal care items. Directly operating the Home-life Service are the house-parents who play the vital role of parent surrogates, role models in the clarification and formation of values and more importantly motivating children to accept/adopt positive values and learn gradually to take on duties and responsibilities.
3. Health Service refers to the provision of care, treatment and maintenance of the physical, mental and nutritional well-being of the clients. These include medical and dental consultation and treatment, periodic and annual check-ups, referral to hospitals for further assessment and treatment particularly those cares requiring specialized medical interventions. Menus are carefully planned in consultation with the doctor/nutritionist (volunteer) to ensure that a balanced nutritional diet is served three times a day with all the food groups adequately represented in the diet. Special dietary meals are prepared and served only upon doctor’s order.
4. Occupational Therapy Service refers to therapeutic activities aimed at enabling clients to have the opportunities to restore, recover lost manual abilities and learn new skills. This is designed to regain self-confidence and respect as well as, economic usefulness. Clients may engage in: carpentry, pottery, cooking, handicraft, gardening, arts and crafts, etc.
5. Physical Therapy Service refers to therapeutic activities designed to improve the weak muscles of either or both lower or upper extremities with the prescribed medical techniques of massaging and other exercises of the muscles.
6. Psychological/Psychiatric Service covers tests and other modes of assessment as well as therapeutic sessions. Clients who manifest personality and/or behavior disorders require in-depth assessments that shall form part of the case management. Psychiatric service is provided to clients with deep-seated emotional problems involving character disorder, neurosis and/or psychosis. Clients whose emotional/behavioral problems cannot be adequately handled in the institution shall be referred to a mental hospital/institution for appropriate medical management.
7. Spiritual Enrichment and Value Formation is a vital service rendered to the clients in facilitating the development of a healthy positive values and attitudes towards themselves, with others and to enhance a fervent relationship with God. The Clients are not only taught spiritual and moral values during their spiritual group sessions but such teaching are integrated in the regular program and are applied and demonstrated in the various daily activities. Other activities designed to instill ad strengthen the love for God and promote positive values include attendance to Holy mass, bible study/sharing, catechism, recollection, etc. Clients are also taught to respect the practices of different faiths and accept the right to different forms of worship.
8. Educational Service refer to the provision of opportunities for continuing education through formal, non-formal and special education. It is considered a very important component in improving the rehabilitation and development potentials and competencies of the clients to prepare them for self-reliance, productivity and independent living. Cottolengo Filipino, Inc. with technical assistance from the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), has put up its own special education class.
9. Socio-cultural and Recreational Service are essential activities designed to promote the physical, mental social and cultural development of the clients. A wide range of indoor and outdoor activities are made available to encourage and motivate the clients to participate, socialize on the basis of their needs, interests, talents and enjoyment/relaxation. Socio-cultural activities enhance one’s personal growth and development. Example of such activities is: visits to historical places, museums, parks, shows/plays, etc. Recreation, sports and other play activities do not only serve the purpose of providing entertainment and relaxation. Participation in these activities inculcates discipline, teamwork, a high sense of fairness, sportsmanship and camaraderie. This particular service is available to all the clientele of Cottolengo Filipino, Inc.

B. Special Education

1. To provide special education to residents who are poor, abandoned, unwanted surrendered/neglected PWDs referred by different institutions from the diversified area of the country and admit poor special children from the municipality of Montalban and San Mateo in order to:

• Enable special children to participate more actively as functional members of the society
• Develop and enhance their academic and non-academic talents
• Develop in special children a strong sense of moral and human values

2. Put up instructional tools, materials and equipment to strengthen instructional resources and upgrade the quality of educational output in all sequences, grade level and subject areas.

C. Community-based vocational skill development training

 1. Livelihood Service has several components designed to help the PWD’s develop self-confidence, economic productivity and ultimately independent living. The components are:

• Livelihood Skills Training – for PWDs lacking the necessary skills to get employed, to be self-employed through income generating projects, or to work in a sheltered workshop. The skills training program is dependent upon the client’s physical and mental capability and, motivation as well as the availability of training and equipment.
• Job Counseling and Job/ Placement – as part of the skills training curriculum, the trainees are provided with job counselling sessions on job requirements and expectations. Business employers are invited as guest lecturers in these sessions. Also on-the-job training (OJT) for at least one week for actual job orientation and exposure are undertaken. At the end of the skills training course, the trainees are given test. A TESDA Certificate is issued to those who passed these tests. These certificates serves as their credentials and serves as a tremendous morale booster to the PWDs. The Municipal Social Welfare and Development workers assist examinees desiring to work in local factories, industries and/or shops.
• Scholarship- PWDs who are physically and mentally capable, and greatly interested in pursuing higher level of vocational training like computer literacy can avail of the special scholarship program open to economically poor but deserving students under TESDA.

2. Self-employment Assistance PWDs with adequate knowledge and skills including some experience in undertaking an income generating projects but lacking the necessary capital is referred for capital assistance to the LGU or to the DSWD.