Because I don’t know the nature of the treatment, my recommendation is in general. But in general, any intervention in any program especially with children, we must start where they are. Maybe it’s worth trying to approach it from the perspective of the child. Why is he resistant? Is there someone from the group he doesn’t like? Is there an established relationship with the facilitator that would make him more comfortable? Maybe part of the preparation for that treatment is to establish the relationship with the child and become flexible.
Based on the protocol, those who are DOH trained on ASSIST but with the presence of the local social worker.
For minors, especially those who are in school, is covered under Board Regulation number 6 2019. The said regulation states that DEPED needs to be coordinating with social welfare officers. The ones who will assess the minors are the social welfare officers.
Court order is necessary for the DDE. Detained minors “allegedly” involved in drugs is subject to Board Regulation No.6, 2019. You’re not even supposed to do intake interviews unless you’re a social welfare officer or was directed to do so by the Local Social Worker.
Victims of abuse and exploitation would need specialist level therapy. There is also a need to focus the issue of abuse that is happening in the community. There must be a systemic effort by the community, the barangay, and other criminogenic factors to address the issue.
We do have to start where the child is at. It’s important for any successful treatment or intervention to establish a good relationship with the child. If it needs preliminary steps, like establishing a relationship first before going into treatment that is recommended. There are certain cases where even without the child’s assent, but if it’s the guardian who consented, we can proceed with treatment because it’s for the best interest of the child. You’re not just dealing with the child but also the people around him or her. Have conversations with those who surrounds the child. You’ll be able to gain more trust and engagement from the children you’re working with when you do that.
The school should teach that child needs to receive appropriate intervention. There is a different treatment plan for minors, which is governed by a different board regulation. There is also another board regulation regarding drug use in school.
Colombo Plan would be happy to share with you and have as much people trained on the child courses. One of the things you can do is to send an email. Let me know what organization you’re part of and give me a background of how you will be using this training. This way we can see how to help you out in terms of providing assistance. I’ll put my email in the chat if anyone would like to ask further. (therese.castillo@colombo-plan.org)
DOH: For children, you could also call the substance abuse helpline. We can link you to the social worker DSWD regarding their programs for children. For minors, we always have to involve the local social workers. DDB: We have our training for self-discovery for kids. They can find it in our website. Skills training for the kids are also conducted. If they want to avail of the training, they can coordinate with the preventive education training and information division of the Dangerous Drugs Board.