The Family Development Session or FDS is a monthly parent group activity that is attended by the main 4Ps grantee of a household, usually the mother. It aims to enhance their parenting capabilities, while encouraging them to be more active citizens of society.
Topics discussed during Family Development Sessions include: Strengthening marital relationships, parenting roles, health and nutrition, children’s educational and psychosocial needs, and promotion of family values, among others.
Attendance to FDS is one of the conditions of the 4Ps program. Sessions are implemented and monitored monthly by the City or Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (C/MSWDO).
To support the conduct of FDS in the Caraga Region, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga, through its 4Ps Regional Program Management Office (RPMO) received a total of 649 Family Development Session (FDS) Kits from the 4Ps National Program Management Office (NPMO) yesterday, October 27, 2025.
This initiative is in line with the directive of Secretary Rex Gachalian to procure and provide FDS Kits for all City/Municipal Links (C/MLs), ensuring that field workers are well-equipped in carrying out their facilitation duties during Family Development Sessions.
Each FDS Kit contains the following materials:
• 40 sheets – Manila Paper
• 1 ream – Bond Paper (A4)
• 25 pieces – Colored Board
• 2 rolls – Masking Tape
• 1 piece – Permanent Marker
• 1 piece – Whiteboard Marker
• 1 piece – Foldable Umbrella
• 3 boxes (12 pieces per box) – Ballpen
• 2 boxes (24 colors per box) – Crayons
On the same day, the team immediately commenced the distribution of the FDS Kits to the City/Municipal Links (C/MLs) across the region to ensure the timely provision of learning materials for the conduct of FDS activities in their respective areas.
This initiative underscores the Program’s unwavering commitment to supporting the effective and sustained implementation of the Family Development Session (FDS). It also aims to empower field workers, particularly the City/Municipal Links, by providing them with the necessary tools and materials for the conduct of FDS activities—one of the Program’s core strategies in enhancing the knowledge, values, and life skills of 4Ps partner-beneficiaries.
Republic Act No. 11310 or the 4Ps Act, which was launched in 2008 and formally institutionalized in 2019, serves as the country’s primary poverty alleviation strategy and human capital investment initiative. It grants conditional cash assistance to qualified poor households for up to seven (7) years, aiming to enhance their health, nutrition, and education.
