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Article I
General Provisions Abandoned Child refers to a child who has no proper
Section 1 parental care or guardianship, or whose parent(s)
have deserted him/her for a period of at least three
Title and Purpose (3) continuous months.
These rules shall be known as the Implementing Rules Foundling refers to a person whose fact/s of birth
and Regulations of Republic Act 9523, otherwise is/are unknown.
known as An Act Requiring Certification of the
Department of Social Welfare and Development Neglected Child refers to a child whose basic needs
(DSWD) to Declare A Child Legally Available For have been deliberately unattended or inadequately
Adoption as a Prerequisite For Adoption Proceedings, attended within a period of three (3) continuous
Amending for this Purpose Certain Provisions of months. Neglect may occur in two (2) ways:
Republic Act No. 8552, Otherwise Known as the
Domestic Adoption Act of 1998, Republic Act 8043, There is physical neglect when the child is
Otherwise Known As The Inter-Country Adoption Act malnourished, ill clad, and without proper shelter. A
of 1995, Presidential Decree No. 603, Otherwise child is unattended when left by himself/herself
Known As the Child and Youth Welfare Code, and For without proper provisions and/or without proper
Other Purposes. These rules are promulgated to supervision.
prescribe the rules and procedures for the
implementation of the Act. There is emotional neglect when the child is
maltreated, sexually abused, raped, seduced,
Section 2 exploited, overworked, or made to work under
conditions not conducive to good health; or is made to
Declaration of Policy - beg in the streets or public places; or when a child is
left in moral danger, or exposed to gambling,
It is hereby declared the policy of the State that prostitution, and other vices.
alternative care, protection and assistance shall be
afforded to every child who is surrendered, Dependent child is one who is without parent,
abandoned, neglected or dependent. In this regard, guardian or custodian; or one whose parents,
the State shall extend such assistance in the most guardian or other custodian, for good cause desires to
expeditious manner in the interest of full emotional be relieved of his/her care and custody; and is
and social development of the surrendered, dependent upon the public for support.
abandoned, neglected or dependent child.
Involuntarily Committed Child refers to a child who the
It is hereby recognized that the administrative DSWD finds to be abandoned, neglected or
processes under the jurisdiction of the Department of dependent, by his/her parents or guardian and is
Social Welfare and Development for the declaration of ordered committed to the care and custody of the
a child legally available for adoption of surrendered, DSWD Centers or Institutions or to a licensed or
abandoned, neglected or dependent children are the accredited Child Caring/ Placing Agency or individual.
most expeditious proceedings for the best interest and
welfare of the child. Voluntarily Committed / Surrendered Child refers to a
child whose parent or legal guardian knowingly and
Section 3 willingly relinquished parental authority in writing
through a notarized Deed of Voluntary Commitment
Definition of Terms to the DSWD or any duly licensed or accredited child
placement or child-caring agency or institution.
As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean:
Child Legally Available for Adoption refers to a child in
Department of Social Welfare and Development whose favor a certification was issued by the DSWD
(DSWD) is the agency charged to implement the that he/she is legally available for adoption after the
provisions of this Act and shall have the sole authority fact of abandonment, neglect, or dependence has
to issue the certification declaring a child legally been proven through the submission of pertinent
available for adoption. documents, or one who was voluntarily committed by
his/her parent/s or legal guardian/s.
Child refers to a person below eighteen (18) years of
age or a person over eighteen (18) years of age but is Child-caring agency (CCA) or institution refers to a
unable to fully take care of himself/herself or protect private non-profit or government agency duly licensed
himself/herself from abuse, neglect, cruelty, or accredited by the DSWD that provides twenty- four
exploitation, or discrimination because of physical or (24) hour residential care services for abandoned,
neglected, dependent or voluntarily committed Adoption of a child by his/her step-parent
children.
Adoption of a child by a relative within the fourth
Child-placing agency (CPA) or institution refers to a (4th) degree of consanguinity or affinity
private non-profit institution or government agency
duly licensed or accredited by the DSWD that receives Article II
and processes applicants to become foster or adoptive Procedure
parents and facilitates placement of children eligible Section 5
for foster care or adoption.
Form of Petition -
Petitioner refers to the head or executive director of a
licensed or accredited child-caring or child placing The Petition to declare an abandoned, neglected, or
agency or institution managed by the national dependent child as legally available for adoption, shall
government, local government unit, non-government be in the form of an affidavit, subscribed and sworn to
organization, or a provincial, city, or municipal Social before a notary public.
Welfare and Development Officer who has actual
custody of a minor and who files a petition to declare The Petition shall contain facts necessary to establish
such child legally available for adoption, or who files the merits of the petition and shall state the
such petition for a child under the custody of any circumstances surrounding the abandonment, neglect,
other individual, agency or institution provided that or dependence of the child.
the childs custodian consents.
The Petition shall be supported by the following
Secretary refers to the Secretary of the DSWD or documents:
his/her duly authorized representative.
Social Case Study Report executed by a licensed social
Conspicuous Place refers to a place frequented by the worker of the DSWD, local government unit, licensed
public, such as but not limited to or accredited child caring or child - placing agency or
provincial/city/municipal halls/barangay halls, where a institution charged with the custody of the child.
notice of a petition to declare a child legally available
for adoption may be posted for the information of any Proof of efforts made to locate the parent(s) or any
interested person known relatives of the child. The following shall be
considered sufficient proof of efforts to locate
Social Case Study Report (SCSR) refers to a written parent(s) or any known relatives of the child.
report of the result of an assessment conducted by a
licensed social worker as to the socio-cultural and Written certification from a local or national radio or
economic condition, psychosocial background, current television station that the case was aired on three (3)
functioning and facts of abandonment, neglect or different dates;
dependence of the child. The report shall also state
the efforts of the social worker to locate the childs Publication in one (1) newspaper of general
parent/s, legal guardian/s, relative/s and circulation.
intervention / services provided to childs parent/s ,
legal guardian/s or relative/s. Police report or barangay certification from the
locality where the child was found or a certified copy
Legal Guardian refers to a person appointed by a court of tracing report issued by the Philippine National Red
to protect the interest of a minor. Cross (PNRC) National Headquarters( NHQ), Social
Services Division or Local Chapters which states that
Section 4 despite due diligence, the childs parent(s) or known
relative(s) could not be found; and
Coverage -
One (1) returned registered mail to the last known
These rules shall apply to surrendered, abandoned, address of the parent(s) or known relative(s)
neglected, and dependent children as mentioned in
this Act who are subject for adoption. Birth certificate, if available
Any of the following adoption proceedings in court Most recent photograph of the child and photograph
does not require a Certification Declaring a Child upon abandonment or admission to the agency or
Legally Available for Adoption. institution.
Section 7 Section 11
The Petition together with the complete supporting Declaration of Availability for Adoption
documents shall be filed by the petitioner with the
regional office of the DSWD where the child was Upon finding merit in the petition, the Secretary or
found. his/her duly authorized representative shall issue a
certification declaring the child legally available for
In cases where the child was physically transferred adoption within seven (7) working days from the
outside the region where the child was found, the receipt of the recommendation.
Head of the DSWD Center/Institution, Child
Caring/Placing Agency shall file the petition with the Section 13
DSWD Regional Office where the DSWD
Center/Institution, Child Caring Agency /Child Placing Issuance of Certificate of Foundling
Agency is located. Said DSWD Regional Office shall
forward the notice of the petition to the DSWD In case of a foundling child, the local civil registrar of
Regional Office of the region where the child was the municipality/city shall register and issue a
found for posting in accordance with Section 10, foundling certificate within five (5) working days from
paragraph 2 of these rules. receipt of the request and shall transmit copy of the
foundling certificate to the National Statistics Office
Section 9 within seven (7) working days.
Appeal - Penalty
The decision of the Secretary or his/her duly Without prejudice to the filing of an administrative or
authorized shall be appealable to the Court of Appeals criminal case, including the permanent revocation of
within five (5) working days of receipt of the decision the license/accreditation to operate a child
by the petitioner, otherwise the same shall become caring/placing agency, the penalty of One Hundred
final and executory. Thousand Pesos (P 100,000.00) to Two Hundred
Thousand (P 200,000.00) shall be imposed on any
Section 15 person, institution, or agency who shall place a child
for adoption without the DSWD certification declaring
Application for Certification Declaring a Child Legally the child legally free for adoption.
Available for Adoption of a voluntarily committed/
surrendered child Violation of any provision of this Act shall subject the
government official or employee concerned to
The application for the issuance of a certification appropriate administrative, civil and/or criminal
declaring the child legally available for adoption of a sanctions, including suspension and/or dismissal from
voluntarily committed/surrendered child shall be filed the government service and forfeiture of benefits.
within three (3) months after the signing of the Deed
of Voluntary Commitment in accordance to Art II, Section 19
Section 6, 7 & 8 & Section 11 & 12 of this Rule,
provided that no matching shall take place within the Offices In Charge of Handling Violations
period. The basis of issuance of the certification is the
notarized Deed of Voluntary Commitment supported A child caring / placing agency and or a person who
with Social Case Study Report, birth certificate, has personal knowledge of any violation under the Act
photograph upon admission to the agency and most shall immediately report the same to the police
recent photograph of the child. station, local government unit or to any DSWD office
(national, regional, provincial, city or municipal) that
Section 16 shall act thereon in accordance with existing rules and
regulations within twenty-four (24) hours from receipt
Restoration of Parental Authority - of the report.
Separability Clause
Section 23
Effectivity Clause