Collaborative Governance of Juvenile Aftercare in Zamboanga City, Philippines: Implementation Fidelity and Service Delivery Performance for Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL)

Abstract

Youth offenders transitioning out of institutional care face elevated risks of disrupted education, limited employment prospects, social stigma, and reoffending. In the Philippines, these risks are compounded by resource constraints and multi-actor implementation arrangements under decentralized governance. This study evaluates how local governance structures enable or constrain the implementation and service delivery performance of statutory aftercare for children in conflict with the law (CICL) in Zamboanga City. Anchored in Collaborative Governance Theory, the analysis examines the institutional design, facilitative leadership, collaborative processes, and outcome monitoring conditions that shape aftercare delivery across government and non-government actors. The study adopts a mixed-methods design. Quantitatively, it analyzes administrative records of all CICL discharged from institutional care between 2021 and 2025 (n=171), focusing on aftercare enrollment and recorded recidivism outcomes. Qualitatively, it draws on semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with purposively selected implementers from government and civil society organizations (n=20), complemented by document and policy review. Descriptive statistics summarize coverage and outcomes, while thematic analysis identifies coordination dynamics, capacity constraints, and beneficiary engagement gaps. Findings indicate strong system reach and formal compliance with national mandates: all discharged CICL were enrolled in aftercare, and recidivism remained low at 1.1 percent (two recorded cases). However, qualitative evidence suggests that these headline indicators may mask persistent governance weaknesses. While the Local Council for the Protection of Children (LCPC) provides a mandated collaborative platform, stakeholder participation in actual service delivery is uneven, coordination remains episodic, and continuity relies heavily on the City Social Welfare and Development Office. A fragmented information environment—without an integrated digital case management and monitoring system—limits reliable tracking of service packages, case continuity, and longer-term reintegration outcomes. Youth participation in planning and evaluation remains ad hoc, reducing policy responsiveness. The study concludes that strengthening juvenile aftercare requires moving from compliance-based coverage toward performance-driven governance—through local legal codification of roles and budgets, shared accountability mechanisms, workforce capacity-building, integrated data systems, diversified financing, and institutionalized youth representation