ICARE is a Community Based Rehabilitation programme developed to address the lack of inclusion of children with disabilities in to educational programmes in the Philippines. Its broad focus is on early rehabilitation interventions of children with disabilities since research has shown that early intervention improves a disabled child’s chances of being included in educational programmes later in life.
More specifically this pilot project facilitates the early identification, intervention and rehabilitation of children with disabilities who are not in school to enable them, in the long process to attend classes alongside their peers. Community-based in nature, the programme aims to utilise the skills of the visiting interns from the CHIIPs programme - focussing on the skills of Physio therapy, Occupational therapy and Speech therapy - through training volunteer teachers, community workers and parents and offering hands on therapy to children with disabilities in three pilot sites in Bagong Silang, Malaria and Payatas of which the first two sites are located Northern Caloocan City and the latter in Quezon City.
In the first phase of the training (2008-2009), under the lead of a physiotherapist, workshops and trainings are provided to the volunteers including community rehabilitation techniques, understanding and recognition of disabling conditions, basic exercise regimes for specific conditions and positioning and assessment for mobility aids and equipment. Alongside trainings and materials, an ICARE resource pack was created to enhance and encourage continued self-directed learning of the volunteers so that the service is progressive and sustainable. Giving impetus back to the community not only encourages inclusion from within that community, but it also enables the volunteers to play a vital role in facilitating this life-changing process for children with disabilities.
The current phase (2009) is being lead by an occupational therapist to increase the volunteers’ skills base, and resources available to them while working with children with disabilities. While ICARE is still based in the 3 pilot sites, plans to develop the programme in other areas are underway, with links to Philippine based agencies being broached to ensure the sustainability and relevance of the programme within its’ locality.