25 MAY 2022
DepEd ORDER
No. 023, s. 2022
CHILD FIND POLICY FOR LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES
TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Minister, Basic, Higher and Technical Education, BARMM
Bureau and Service Directors
Regional Directors
Schools Division Superintendents
Public Elementary and Secondary School Heads
All Others Concerned
1. In adherence to the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10533) Section 8, Inclusiveness of Enhanced Basic Education designed to address the physical, intellectual, psychosocial, and cultural needs of learners, the Department of Education (DepEd) adopts the enclosed Child Find Policy for Learners with Disabilities (LWDs) Towards Inclusive Education.
2. This policy articulates the processes in ensuring that learners with disabilities are identified, located, and evaluated to facilitate their inclusion in the general basic education school system; provides means for the schools to monitor implementation of the Child Find Process; and promotes cooperative advocacy for children with disability and developmental delays among stakeholders in the communities.
3. This policy provides guidelines for DepEd personnel, and teachers in the implementation of a comprehensive Child Find.
This covers children, above the age of five, diagnosed with disabilities or observed to have developmental delays requiring special education and related services in public and private schools offering basic education, including those in the Alternative Learning System, the Muslim Education Program, Indigenous Peoples Education, community learning centers and Out of School Children/Out of School Youth.
4. This new DepEd Order (DO) modifies DO 72, s. 2009 (Inclusive Education as Strategy for Increasing Participation Rate of Children); DO 03, s. 2018 (Basic Education Enrollment Policy); DO 027, 2019 (Guidelines on the Yearly Collection of Data/Information Requirements and Validation Processes) and other issuances accordingly.
5. This Order shall take effect immediately upon its publication in the DepEd website and upon filing with the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR) at the University of the Philippines (UP) Law Center, UP Diliman, QuezonCity.
6. For more information, please contact the Bureau of Learning Delivery Student Inclusion Division, 4th Floor Bonifacio Building Department of Education Central Office DepEd Complex Meralco Avenue Pasig City through email at bld.sid@deped.gov.ph or at telephone number (02) 8637-4346.
7. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.
(SGD) ANNALYN M. SEVILLA
Undersecretary
Officer-in-Charge
Encl.:
As stated
References:
DepEd Order (Nos. 72, s. 2009; 03, s. 2018; and 027, s. 2019)
To be indicated in the Perpetual Index
under the following subjects:
ADMISSION
BASIC EDUCATION
CHANGE
DATA
ENROLLMENT
LEARNERS
POLICY
PROGRAM
SPECIAL EDUCATION
(Enclosure to DepEd Order No. 0 2 3 , s. 2022)
Title: CHILD FIND POLICY FOR LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES ,(LWDs) TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
I. Rationale
In line with the mandate of the Philippine – Constitution, the state shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all 1evels and shall take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all. Republic Act 7277 the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability and Presidential Decree No. 603, the Child and Youth Welfare Code uphold and support this provision of the Constitution.
In relation to this, the Department of Education (DepEd) has issued and implemented several policies such as the DepEd Order No. 03, s. 2018 Basic Education Enrollment Policy to ensure equitable access to education and DepEd Order No. 72, s. 2009 Inclusive Education as a Strategy to Increase Participation Rate of Children to reach out and serve all learners assessed and observed with disabilities including those at risk requiring special education services. DepEd Order No. 44 s. 2021 outlines the overall direction for Special Education Program to ensure educational services to learners with disabilities in both public and private basic educational institutions.
While the policy on Special Education Program outlines referral and
placement options for learners with disabilities, challenges in screening and
identifying children at risk and those with disabilities had to be addressed as
well. Barriers preventing children and youth from attending school include prejudices and negative social attitudes, stigmatization resulting to parent’s refusal to send their children to school, and some disabilities, hidden nature, or lack of diagnosis for proper classification (UNESCO, 2001). The low number of children at risk and those with disabilities enrolled in schools may further be attributed to the lack of available medical diagnostic documentation or referral from medical or allied health specialist.
To strictly adhere with the provision cited in DepEd Order No. 6, s. 2006, Policies and Guidelines for Special Education at the Secondary Level, (Handbook, p. 4, 2006), that learners with special needs may be admitted anytime during the year, if circumstances warrant such admission.
As stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD}, the Department of Education recognizes that “disability is an evolving concept”. Following the UNCRPD to which the Philippines is a signatory, DepEd recognizes that “persons with disabilities include those who have long term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others” (UNCRPD, 2006, p. 6).
The National Disability Prevalence Survey estimated those with severe disability to be around 12% of the general population (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2019). In the study entitled “Situation of Children in the Philippines,” the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) stated that around 53% of children with disabilities are from poor households and are not attending school. The study underlined that child with disabilities continue to experience barriers to access social and educational services (Development Academy of the Philippines, 2019).
In view of the above statements, there is a need to put into policy the processes of developing partnerships, raising awareness, locating, and screening children with disabilities to increase their participation and ensure access to quality and equitable education. DepEd recognizes the need for family support, access to health care, targeted allied health / rehabilitative services, and social care for Children and Youth with Disabilities (CYWDs) and with developmental delays. To optimize participation in education of CYWDs and with developmental delays, commitment and active participation of a wide range of sectors shall be engaged. For Child Find, interagency coordination with national, local government units, communities, and other stakeholders who shared responsibility for the care and support of children and youth withdisabilities are integral.
II. Scope of the Policy
This policy provides guidance to each governance level to public schools in implementing Child Find to ensure children aged 5 to 24 (p. 18, DepEd Order No. 044 s. 2021), are diagnosed with disabilities or observed to have developmental delays requiring special education and related services are enrolled for educational programs and services under the K to 12 Basic Education Program.
This policy covers raising awareness, locating, screening, and subsequent endorsement of learners diagnosed with disabilities or those with developmental delays for enrollment in public schools.
III. Definition of Terms
For purposes of this policy, the following terms are defined and understood as
follows:
Assessment refers to the process of observing, gathering, recording, interpreting information to understand the learners, making instructional decisions and determining the extent and nature of support they need to participate in basic education.
Children at risk refer to learners experiencing difficulties in learning, having disability or illness due to biological, psychological or environmental risk factors. Child Find shall refer to the identification, location, and evaluation of children above the age of S, with disabilities or at risk for developing disabilities who need special education and related health services to facilitate their inclusion into the general basic education system (United Nations, n.d.)
Children with disabilities include those who have long term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others." (World Health Organization, 2012)
Child Mapping refers to the process of locating and gathering basic information on the status of learners with disabilities in the community for screening, referral and registration.
Developmental delay refers to the condition of a child who experiences significant variation in the achievement of expected milestones for actual age.
Equitable Education ensures that learners with disabilities receive equal opportunity in accessing quality education.
lnteragency Coordination refers to the collaboration and partnership with government agencies such as Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), Early Child Care and Development (ECCD), Local Government Units (LGU) , PhilHealth and others
Learners with Disabilities (LWD) refer to learners in the general early and basic education system, who require additional support and adaptive pedagogic methods due to their long-term physical, intellectual, or sensory impairments, which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. They are placed in the age appropriate grade levels by the multidisciplinary team based on the latter's assessments and diagnoses of the learners.
Multidisciplinary Team refers to a group of professionals who has a specific role in the provision of educational assessment, medical diagnosis, and other needs of learners with disabilities.
Out of School Children (OSC)/ Out of School Youth (OSY) - refers to school-age children/youth with special cases who are not enrolled in schools.
Referral refers to a written or oral request, which can be provided by the child's parent, guardian, school screening team (SPED teachers, teacher, Guidance counselor/ advocate, conducting the
initial screening. The document shall besubmitted to the multidisciplinary team for further assessment and evaluation.
Related Services refer to support services which include, but not limited to, linguistic solutions for deaf learners' concerns, speech-language pathology and audiology services, interpreting services, intervenor services, psychologicalservices, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, social services, school health services, counseling and rehabilitation services, orientation and mobility services, medical services, and transportation services, as may be required to assist a learner with disability to fully enjoy the rights and benefits from education services.
Screening refers to the preliminary process of identifying the learners with disabilities through interview, observation for possible intervention and referral to the multidisciplinary team based on the results.
IV. Policy Statement
Parallel with DepEd Order No. 03, s. 2018, the Department of Education reiterates the importance of enrolling Out of School Children (OSC) and Out of School Youth (OSY) especially those who are bounded by disability or have developmental delays. As these children require diagnostic assessment which may not be readily available as basis for enrollment and educational placement for special education program, DepEd shall provide accommodations in the earlyregistration process of children above the age of 5 who are either diagnosed with disability or have developmental delays to ensure that "no child is left behind".
This policy articulates the processes in ensuring that learners with disabilities are identified, located, and screened to facilitate provision of educational programs and services for learners with disabilities in the K to
12 Basic Education Program. Furthermore, this policy ensures that learners with disabilities will have access and full participation in the basic education program.
V. Procedures
A. Child Find Program
Referred to as the process of locating and gathering basic information on children at risk or those with disabilities to facilitate registration and attendance to school, Child Find Program shall be done prior to the early enrolment registration. In accordance with the Early Enrollment Policy of the Department of Education, schools must endeavor to register and actively involve Out of School Children and Youth (OSCY) in the community who may be characterized as disadvantaged and marginalized learners. These are the learners who are living with disability/ies, difficulty/ies, living in off-grid/far-flung community; a barangay without a school, or a geographically isolated area; displaced due to natural disaster; living in an armed conflict
area or area with high level of criminality/ drug abuse; having chronic illness or nutritional problem/ s; victim of child abuse or economic exploitation; stateless/undocumented; in conflict with the law; living on the streets; and no longer in school but interested in going back to school and for learners in school but not receiving appropriate educational and social services.
Information about children obtained during Child Find activities should be logged following procedures for completing Annex 1 of DepEd Order No. 03 s. 2018. This shall be used for planning SPED Programs for children at risk or those with disabilities.
B. Child Find Activities
To facilitate provision of educational programs and services for learners with disabilities (DepEd Order No. 044 s. 2021), the following Child Find activities shall be organized by public schools' administrators and teachers. These activities commence with disability advocacy campaign followed by locating, and screening as detailed below:
1. Disability Advocacy Campaign
a. Inter-agency Coordination
The DepEd recognizes the need for family support, access to health care, targeted allied health / rehabilitative services, and social care for Children and Youth with Disabilities (CYWDs) and developmental delays. To optimize participation in education of CYWDs and developmental delays, commitment, and active participation of a wide range of sectors shall be engaged. For Child Find, interagency coordination with both national and local counterparts of the following agencies who shared responsibility for the care and support of children and youth with disabilities shall be engaged:
- Health: Early identification, assessment, early intervention, and comprehensive rehabilitation allow children with disability to transition better from birth through school age. At the forefront of quality health and rehabilitative service prov1s1on, partnerships with national (Regional Hospitals / Medical Centers, and local health units (Provincial, City / Municipal Health Offices) are solicited to facilitate information dissemination on educational services and mapping of children identified as having developmental delays or those diagnosed with disabilities.
- Social Welfare and Development: Mainly responsible for providing social services, social workers empower children and families by organizing comm unities and ECD. Partnerships with social welfare and development units (Provincial, City / Municipal Social Welfare Development Office) are important to ensure the educational advancement of children with disabilities.
- Other service providers and non-government organizations: Aimed at supporting government programs by enhancing access to both health and social services, non-government organizations (professionals, charitable, private, and other stakeholders for children and youth with disabilities) form part of the comprehensive and integrated network to support and sustain the education of children and youth with disability. Partnership is engaged to seek support in identifying children requiring special educational and programs and services
i. Local Government Units holding jurisdiction and Organizations covering public schools concerned shall be identified and engaged by the Schools District Supervisor through a MOU / MOA about how all parties can work together in disseminating information about educational programs & services and mapping of children with disabilities or those with developmental delays.
b. Raising Awareness
In the Executive Summary of the State of World's Children published in 2013, attitudinal change was highlighted as an important factor in changing the lives of children with disabilities. Ignorance about the nature and causes of impairments, invisibility of the children themselves, serious underestimation of their potential and capacities, and other impediments to equal opportunities and treatment all conspire to keep children with disabilities silenced and marginalized (UNICEF, 2013). For Child Find, the DepEd shallcontinue activities that help promote a positive view of disability.
i. Schools shall implement activities on disability awareness (ie. Symposium, distribution of IEC materials, etc,) and encourage partner LGUs and organizations to implement their own activities about the importance of referring children with disabilities for provision of educational program and services
ii. Partner LGUs and organizations shall be encouraged to include disability and developmental delay information in registries or database of children under their jurisdiction
iii. With reference to the Basic Education Enrollment Policy, partner LGUs and organizations shall be engaged to complete and submit a Child Mapping Tool (see Annex 1 of DepEd Order No. 003 s.2018). This shall be submitted to the Teacher concerned via the Schools District Supervisor for use in locating children.
iv. Schools shall ensure adherence to Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA No. 10173) in handling all information submitted by partners
2. Locating
To increase the full participation and inclusion of all learners including the learners with disabilities in public schools, Teachers shall find children who have never been in school and those who are already in school and are struggling in learning regardless of their ethnicity, cultural diversity, academic strengths and weaknesses, physical, mental, social and emotional capabilities.
i. To locate children who have never been enrolled in school, Schools shall engage the help of the Barangay in doing home visits or facilitating school visit of the parent/ guardian and child for enrollment.
ii. For children already in school and are struggling, endorsement and a short report on the concern prepared by the previous Teacher should be submitted
Teacher shall list the located children using Annex 1 -School: List of Learners with Disabilities That Underwent Child Find Activities
iii. Teacher shall ensure adherence to Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA No. 10173) in handling all data related to the enrollment and subsequent screening of learners
3. Screening
Due to challenges in obtaining diagnostic evaluation by a medical professional, many children with disabilities and developmental delays remain undiagnosed with no formal medical assessment andintervention provided prior to school age. In case a child is observed to have disabilities or developmental delays, screening is recommended.
i. While formal medical evaluation and diagnosis is in process, screening with the use of MFAT based on DO 29, s. 2018, Policy on the Implementation of the Multi-Factored Assessment Tool is recommended to identify developmental delays, strength, and weaknesses which shall serve as interim basis for provision of educational programs and services.
ii. Screening through MF AT shall be in compliance with relevant policies on the use and interpretation of MFAT.
4. Referral
In case a learner is found to be at risk for disability or developmental delays based on screening, the following are recommended.
i. The teachers shall orient the parents or person responsible for the child about observations during preliminary screening and inform them of the need for further evaluation
ii. Teacher shall provide assistance for referral of the learner to appropriate specialists. In case health or social services are deemed lacking, schools shall provide the child's parent with a written request to facilitate support from partners and stakeholders in the communities. The referral shall clearly state the reasons why the child needs health, social or other services.
Below is the matrix of responsibilities of each level of governance in the implementation of child find
Level of Governance | Responsibilities |
Central Office | Public Awareness · Facilitate circulation of information through official government media channels including the Department's website and social media pages. Reporting · The Bureau of Learning Delivery-Student Inclusion Division checks and ensures that all the data on learners with disabilities under the child find activities are all captured and included in the report from schools, divisions, and regions. |
Regional Office | · The Curriculum and Learning Management Division shall organize a Regional Team of Experts that includes those Supervisors who are in-charge of Special Education, Division Supervisors in-Charge of SPED and selected trained SPED teachers. They shall supervise and monitor division activities to ensure proper implementation of the program. · Issues an implementation plan for child find activities consistent with the national issuances |
Schools Division Office | Public Awareness · Execute Child Find Program for the division and coordinate with Regional Office about facilitators and challenges to the conduct of activities. Inter-agency Coordination · SDOs collaborate with other GOs and NGOs in planning and implementing mechanisms for early registration of LWDs/ with difficulties · Identify partners at the LGU and other community organizations working for and with children with disabilities The Public School District Supervisor shall designate a focal person to work and communicate with the concerned Barangay Chairperson for early registration to be done in the barangay. Reporting · Prepare summary reports on the implementation/ conduct of Child Find Program for submission to RO. |
Schools | Public Awareness · Implement Child Find Programs in public schools with reference to established guidelines as stated in the CO Memo. · Designate a Teacher in Charge to accommodate the needs of children with disabilities or developmental delays. · The school head or the SPED Coordinator shall orient all school personnel updates on proper data reporting of enrolled learners with disabilities. Inter-agency Coordination - Collaborate with LGU and community organizations as partners in the conduct of Child Find activities Reporting · Prepare summary reports on the implementation/ conduct of Child Find Program for submission to DO |
VI. Enrolment Data Management
The Learners Information System (LIS) and Basic Information Education System (BEIS) serve as the primary information systems of the Department of Education. The LIS is designed to give information on enrollment of all learners including the Learners with Disabilities (LWDs) and Learners with Difficulties. The information includes age, sex, the type of learners as graded and non-graded, types of disability for those with cognitive, educational, and medical diagnosis, types of difficulty for those without diagnosis, and the referral source.
The school head or the SPED Coordinator shall be responsible for conducting orientation to all school personnel on systems updates based on the current guidelines including the proper reporting of data.
The classification of learners in the Learners Information System (LIS)
are the following:
A. For learners with diagnosis from licensed medical specialists
A. Visual Impairment
B. Hearing Impairment
C. Learning Disability
D. Intellectual Disability
E. Autism Spectrum Disorder
F. Emotional-Behavioral Disorder
G. Orthopedic/Physical Handicap
H. Speech/Language Disorder
I. Cerebral Palsy
J. Special Health Problem/Chronic Disease
K. Multiple Disabilities
B. Learners without Medical Diagnosis but with manifestations of disabilities based on International Classification of Functioning (ICF)
1. Difficulty in Seeing
2. Difficulty in Hearing
3. Difficulty in Basic Learning and Applying Knowledge
4. Difficulty in Remembering, Concentrating, Paying Attention and Understanding
5. Difficulty in Applying Adaptive Skills
6. Difficulty in Displaying Interpersonal Behavior
7. Difficulty in Mobility (Walking, Climbing and Grasping)
8. Difficulty in Communicating
Every LWDs in the basic education system shall be issued with only one unique and permanent Learner's Reference Number (LRN) that he/she shall use throughout the entire basic education program.
The search learner facility of the LIS shall aid in determining whether the LWDs already has an LRN or not. Learner's disability and difficulty profile must always be established before creating the LRN.
Pre-registration of incoming non-graded enrollees shall be included in the early registration and shall be encoded by the LIS/ICT Coordinator in the LIS under the Early Registration Module and monitored by the School Head.
However, there are no late enrollees for LWDs since they shall be accepted and encoded by the LJS/ICT Coordinator in the LIS anytime of the school year. Private schools and SUCs/LUCs offering basic education with different school calendars are also required to encode the date of attendance of LWDs at any time of the school year.
The tagging of LWDs and learners with difficulty and capturing of other related information can be done provided that the learners are already enrolled on the LIS or the system.
LWDs can and do participate in open enrollment, which allows families to enroll in any public, private schools and SUCs/LUCs offering basic education. They shall not be denied for enrollment for the reason of having a disability or difficulty.
All educational institutions, whether public or private, offering basic education for LWDs shall ensure that they have updated school profiles and other data elements in the BEIS, and that all LWDs enrolled in the school are registered and have updated profiles in the LIS.
Enrollment data and other information shall be managed, safeguarded and secured by the school head to ensure privacy and confidentiality.
VII. MONITORING AND EVALUATION
The Bureau of Learning Delivery-Student Inclusion Division (BLD-SID) of the Central Office, Curriculum and Learning Management Division (CLMD) of the Regional Office, and Curriculum Implementation Division of the Schools Division Office (SDO) shall conduct monitoring of the conduct of Child Find activities in the schools; gather concerns, issues, and feedback; and provide technical assistance if needed.
The ROs shall ensure that all SDOs implement the policy. The CLMD in coordination with RO QAD and PPRD shall submit to the BLD-SID a report on the number of learners with disabilities that divisions and schools are able to locate, screen, and refer for the school year.
The SDOS shall ensure that all public school shall comply with the provisions stipulated in the policy. The SDO CID in coordination with SGOD shall submit to CLMD a report on the number of learners with disabilities that divisions and schools are able to locate, screen, and refer for the school year.
VIII. Effectivity
This new DepEd Order modifies DO 3, s. 202-18, DO 72, s. 2009, DO 27, 2019 and other issuances accordingly and shall take effect for immediately upon its publication in the DepEd official website, Official Gazette, and upon filing with the University of the Philippines-Office of the National Administrative Register (UPONAR).
IX. References
Government Issuances
DepEd Order No. 44, s. 2021 (Policy Guidelines on the Provision of Educational Programs and Services for Learners with Disabilities in the K to 12 Basic Education Program)
DepEd Order No. 72, s. 2009 (Inclusive Education as a Strategy to Increase Participation Rate of Children) 1987 Philippine Constitution
DepEd Order No. 6, s. 2006 (Policies and Guidelines for Special Education at the Secondary Level)
Presidential Decree No. 603 s. 1974 (Child and Youth Welfare Code)
Republic Act 7277 (Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities)
Manuals
Organization, World Health. International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health. World Health Organization, 2007.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006).
Policy Review Report
https://en.unesco.org. (Sub-Education Policy Review Report on Inclusive Education)
Press Release
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the National Disability Prevalence Survey, 2019
Situational Analysis
Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), Situation Analysis of Children in the Philippines, 2018
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