The birth of the Child Protection Network (CPN) originated from the establishment of the CHILD PROTECTION UNIT at the PGH (CPU-PGH) in 1997. The CPU-PGH is a collaborative project between the University of the Philippines Manila and the Advisory Board Foundation (now Citybridge Foundation) which is committed to closing service gaps, the initial focus of which was on the medical and psychosocial components; the hospital being a natural entry point for many children who are in the process of healing and recovery.
The Child Protection Network (CPN) Foundation, Inc. was established in 2002 with the aim of increasing the accessibility of services for abused children nationwide while attaining the highest standard of care. Its goal is to form and train multidisciplinary teams for the protection of abused children in the Philippines and throughout Asia and establish at least one Women and Children Protection Unit (WCPU) in a government hospital in each province providing direct services to abused children and children -at-risk . These WCPUs work as a one-stop shop for a wide array of services –medical diagnosis, treatment and care, psychosocial, and police investigation – for abused women and children. A WCPU facility, which is managed by a multidisciplinary team composed of at least a doctor, social worker, and police, provide the best medical and psychosocial care to every abused child and treat everyone with the compassion and competence they truly deserve.