DSWD and PAO join forces to help single parents get child support

A new memorandum of agreement between the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was signed on Monday in order to offer free legal services to single parents.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo said, “The current administration has identified the need to extend and provide legal advice and assistance to victims of economic abuse, particularly those children and solo parents who need legal services to enforce financial and moral support from the concerned father and spouse.”

The increase of help petitions from single parents requesting child and financial support from their estranged partners prompted the DSWD to seek a collaboration.

With the help of this collaboration between the two organizations, the DSWD will have a public defender’s office.

According to PAO chief Persida Acosta, “The supplemental MOA will strengthen our services to DSWD clients, particularly [those] who need assistance regarding their difficulties on having spouses, partners, or with dating relationships commit to their responsibilities in providing financial support to respective children.”

Also in 2013, the DSWD and PAO agreed to work together to help local prospective adoptive parents who are the biological parents or stepparents of the adoptees as well as victims of violence against women and children who need legal representation.