1 St udy ext r act fr om Mast er Thesis. Financial suppor t fr om Fapesp; 2 Occupat ional Ther apist , Mast er st udent ; 3 Nur se, Fr ee Lect ur er in Nur sing in Collect ive Healt h, Full Pr ofessor. Univer sit y of São Paulo at Ribeir ão Pr et o, School of Nur sing, Brazil
D isponible e n ca st e lla no/ D isponíve l e m língua por t ugue sa SciELO Br a sil w w w .scie lo.br / r la e
POLI TI CAL PROJECT OF ADOLESCEN T CARE I N SÃO CARLOS, BRAZI L
1Lar a de Paula Eduar do2
Em ik o Yosh ik aw a Egr y3
Eduardo LP, Egry EY. Polit ical proj ect of adolescent care in São Carlos, Brazil. Rev Lat ino- am Enferm agem 2007
set em br o- ou t u br o; 1 5 ( 5 ) : 8 9 5 - 9 0 1 .
The Brazilian Child and Adolescent St at ut e was est ablished in 1990. Since t hen m any inst it ut ions have been
creat ed t o at t end adolescent s. This st udy aim ed t o underst and how t hese inst it ut ions have been organized in São
Carlos, Nort heast of São Paulo, Brazil. This is a descript ive st udy, whose dat a were collect ed t hrough int erviews wit h
t he direct ors of 20 inst it ut ions. They report ed differences in t erm s of obj ect ives, t arget public age, religious orient at ion,
et c. While m ost inst it ut ions have focused on leisure act ivit ies and professional educat ion, som e of t hem at t end only
adolescent s who have com m it t ed som e kind of illegal act . Alt hough t here are m any different ways t o assist adolescent s,
it seem s t hat t heir act ions are not int egrat ed t owards t he im plem ent at ion of t he Child and Adolescent St at ut e.
DESCRI PTORS: adolescent ; public policies; public healt h
POLÍ TI CAS PÚBLI CAS PARA LOS ADOLESCEN TES EN LA CI UDAD DE SAO CARLOS
El Est at ut o del Niño y del Adolescent e ( ECA) fue est ablecido en Brasil en 1990 y am plió la act uación del
est ado en la im plem ent ación de las polít icas a los adolescent es. En las ciudades, hay m uchas inst it uciones que
asist en a est os gr upos poblacionales, per o su act uación sinér gica t odav ía no es conocida. El obj et iv o de est a
invest igación fue conocer com o ellas act úan e est án organizadas en el nivel m unicipal. El escenario de est udio fue
el Municipio de Sao Carlos, localizada en el noroest e del Est ado de Sao Paulo. Fueron ent revist ados 20 dirigent es
inst it ucionales. El result ado m ost ró que hay m uchas diferencias en la act uación: la m ayoría de ellas ofrece act ividades
de deport es y recreación; pero ot ra part e se ocupa de los adolescent es aut ores de act os infracciónales. Aunque el
m unicipio cuent a con num erosas inst it uciones, t odavía no est á organizada para el t ot al cum plim ient o del ECA.
DESCRI PTORES: adolescent e; polít icas públicas; salud pública
PROJETO POLÍ TI CO DE ATEN ÇÃO AO ADOLESCEN TE N O MUN I CÍ PI O DE SÃO CARLOS
O Est at ut o da Cr iança e do Adolescent e ( ECA) , cr iado em 1990, am pliou a at uação do Est ado br asileir o
n a im p lem en t ação d as p olít icas p ú b licas aos ad olescen t es. Há m u it as in st it u ições q u e v isam at en d er aos
adolescent es, ent r et ant o, o siner gism o delas é pouco conhecido. O obj et iv o dest e est udo foi o de saber com o
elas at uam e est ão or ganizadas no âm bit o m unicipal. A m et odologia é descr it iva e a população foi r epr esent ada
pelas in st it u ições qu e at en dem os adolescen t es n a cidade de São Car los, SP. Os dados for am colh idos por
m eio de docu m en t os e de en t r ev ist as j u n t o aos dir igen t es in st it u cion ais. Vin t e in st it u ições par t icipar am da
pesquisa. O r esult ado m ost r ou que elas são bast ant e dist int as ent r e si: enquant o a m aior ia delas est á cent r ada
em a t i v i d a d es d e co m p l em en t a çã o esco l a r e en si n o p r o f i ssi o n a l i za n t e, o u t r a s a t en d em ex cl u si v a m en t e
adolescen t es au t or es de at os in f r acion ais. Em bor a pr esen t e n u m er icam en t e, as in st it u ições de at en ção ao
adolescent e não se encont r am ainda or quest r adas em pr ol da consecução do ECA.
I NTRODUCTI ON
T
h e Ch ild an d Ad olescen t St at u t e( 1 ) ( CAS) g av e r ise t o a n ew p ar ad ig m , as t h is social g r ou ps t a r t e d t o b e s e e n a s s u b j e c t s i n a p e c u l i a r
dev elopm ent condit ion, w hich m ust t her efor e r eceiv e
p r ior it y an d g u ar an t eed access t o h ealt h , f eed in g ,
e d u c a t i o n , l e i s u r e , c u l t u r e , s p o r t s , p r o f e s s i o n a l
t raining, dignit y, respect and socializat ion services and
c o n d i t i o n s ( A r t i c l e 4 º . Ti t l e I – Pr e l i m i n a r y
Disp osit ion s) .
Th e c o n t e m p o r a r y s o c i e t y h a s b e c o m e
i n cr e a si n g l y co n ce r n e d w i t h a d o l e sce n t s. I n t h e
m e d i a , t h e m a i n t a r g e t s o f d i scu ssi o n a r e y o u n g
offender s, because t hey ar e becom ing a t hr eat in t er m s
o f v i o l e n c e , a g g r e s s i v e n e s s a n d d e l i n q u e n c y.
Co n se q u e n t l y, p u n i sh m e n t a n d so ci o - e d u ca t i o n a l
m easur es m ent ioned in t he CAS and law pr oj ect s such
as t he r educt ion of legal age t o 16 or even 14 year s
h av e also gen er at ed discu ssion s.
The St at ut e’s m ain change appear s in t he t it le:
t h e ex p r ession u sed t o d esig n at e t h is g r ou p is n o
l o n g e r “ m i n o r ” ( e x p r e s s i o n t h a t h a s b e c o m e
pej orat ive) and is now “ child, adolescent ”, w hich seem s
t o reveal a different orient at ion, t hat t hese individuals
hav e not only obligat ions, but especially r ight s.
U n t i l t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y, w h a t w e
cur r ent ly call adolescence did not ex ist , because t his
p h ase w as m ix ed u p w it h ch ild h ood . Th e n ot ion of
yout h w as connect ed t o t he st r engt h of age. Bet w een
t h e f ou r t een t h an d eigh t een t h cen t u r y, age did n ot
cor r espond t o t he biological st ages of life but r at her
t o social funct ions( 2).
W h i l e s o m e a u t h o r s u s e c h r o n o l o g i c a l
r e f e r e n ce s o r m a r k e r s i n co m b i n a t i o n w i t h o t h e r
com ponent s and at t r ibut es in or der t o get a br oader
d e f i n i t i o n o f a d o l e sce n ce , t h e r e a r e st u d i e s t h a t
q u est ion a u n iv er sal an d g en er ic d ef in it ion w it h ou t
considering t he hist orical m om ent of t he societ ies t hey
ar e inser t ed in. This r eveals an at t em pt t o under st and
adolescence as a social const r uct . As opposed t o t he
usually adopt ed concept ion of adolescence as a fix ed
and im m ut able concept , because it r efer s t o a physical
phenom enon, it s under st anding is expanded t o include
t h e s o c i a l p h e n o m e n o n , s u b j e c t t o t h e c u r r e n t
pr oduct ion m ode( 3 ).
I n d i v i d u a l s w h o b e l o n g t o t h e s a m e
generat ion, w ho w ere born in t he sam e year, possess
a com m on sit uat ion in t he hist orical dim ension of t he
social pr ocess. Thus, w e could under st and t his social
ph en om en on as a sit u at ion t h at cou ld be ex plain ed
a n d d e d u c t e d f r o m t h e b a s i c b i o l o g i c a l f a c t o r s .
How ever, if w e did t hat , w e w ould ignor e t he fact t hat
w e, hum an beings, r elat e t o each ot her accor ding t o
t he hist or ical dim ension of t he social pr ocess( 4). I f, on t h e on e h an d , class p osit ion can b e
explained by econom ic and social condit ions, t he age
sit uat ion is det erm ined by t he w ay cer t ain exper ience
and t hought st andar ds w er e passed in t he t r ansit ion
fr om one generat ion t o anot her. I n fact , cr eat ion and
cult ur al accum ulat ion ar e not det er m ined by t he sam e
indiv iduals, but r at her by t he cont inuous em er gence
o f n e w a g e g r o u p s a n d b y t h e w a y t h e s e n e w
i n d i v i d u a l s g e t c o n t a c t w i t h t h i s a c c u m u l a t e d
inherit ance. This, in t urn, det erm ines how a generat ion
appr eh en ds v alu es, beh av ior s, f eelin gs, cu lt u r e an d
t he k now ledge acquir ed at t hat t im e( 4).
Becom in g an ad u lt an d m at u r in g m ean s t o
acq u i r e al l t h e n ecessar y ab i l i t i es f o r d ai l y l i f e i n
societ y, in t his case, from t he social layer in quest ion( 5). I n t h e con t em p or ar y societ y, y ou n g p eop le
undergo a com plex t ransit ion t o reach t he adult world.
The fam ily em er ges as t he m ain social inst it ut ion, in
w h ich t h e p ost m od er n ( n eolib er al) v alu es of self
-a cco m p l i sh m e n t , p l e -a su r e , -a p o l o g y t o i n d i v i d u -a l
perform ance, consum pt ion, com pet it ion, am ong ot hers,
ar e ap p r eh en d ed . Th e sch o o l ’s r o l e i s t o so ci al i ze
t hrough form al educat ion, which is current ly weakened
by t he posit ion t aken by t he St at e. Work perspect ives
w h e n l e a v i n g s c h o o l a r e d i r e c t l y r e l a t e d t o t h e
subcont r act ing, flex ible and aut onom ous j ob m ar k et .
Cur r ent ly, t he r eal need of t he for m al educat ion as a
per spect ive for social inser t ion is even quest ioned( 6). Th e a d o l e s c e n t ’ s n e e d s g o b e y o n d t h e
or gan ic- biological con dit ion s an d t h e or gan izat ion of
pr ogr am s for t his gr oup r equir es t aking t he social and
collect iv e d im en sion s in t o accou n t . Mor eov er, t h er e
is a n eed t o lear n abou t an d get in v olv ed w it h t h e
adolescent s’ daily life and w it h t he cont ex t t hey ar e
inser t ed in, so t hat t he pr ogr am cont ent s ar e adapt ed
t o t h e d i f f e r e n t i n d i v i d u a l a n d co l l e ct i v e d e m a n d
m odalit ies( 7 ).
Alt hough t he adolescent populat ion is lar ge,
t her e is lit t le dem and for healt h ser v ices. Ther e ar e
st udies confir m ing t hat t his age gr oup is healt hy, at
least h as been h ealt hy, f r om t h e biological poin t of
v i e w . H o w e v e r, v i o l e n c e , d i s e a s e s l i k e A I D S,
incr easing dr ug addict ion am ong adolescent s, m ainly
in low - incom e classes, have dem onst r at ed exact ly t he
For four decades, t he adolescent dem ogr aphic
gr ou p h as been r ecogn ized in dev elopin g cou n t r ies.
Besides t h e fact t h ey r epr esen t 2 5 % of t h e gen er al
p o p u l a t i o n , t h e y h a v e b e e n t h e m a i n t a r g e t s o f
v iolence, r esult ing in an alar m ing num ber of deat hs
and sequelae caused by violent act s, t r affic accident s
and cont am inat ion by diseases, der iving fr om t he poor
con d it ion s t h e m aj or it y of t h e p op u lat ion in t h ese
count r ies is subj ect t o( 7).
I n 1989, in line w it h r ecom m endat ions by t he
Pa n A m e r i c a n H e a l t h Or g a n i z a t i o n ( PA H O) , t h e
B r a z i l i a n M i n i s t r y o f H e a l t h i m p l e m e n t e d t h e
Ad o l escen t Heal t h Pr o g r am ( PROSAD) . A r esear ch
w as car r ied out in Rio de Janeir o in 1994 t o ver ify t he
basic con dit ion s f or t h e deliv er y of in t egr al car e t o
adolescen t s in h ealt h u n it s. Th e r esu lt s obt ain ed in
t he 70 unit s under st udy, 49 of w hich par t icipat ed in
t he PROSAD, show ed t hat only a t hir d at t ended st r eet
children, and t hat t hey m ainly focused on adolescent s,
w h o c a m e t o t h e p r o g r a m b e c a u s e o f h e a l t h
pr oblem s( 8 ).
I n São Car l o s, SP, a g r eat er co n cer n w a s
v e r i f i e d a b o u t co m p l i a n ce w i t h so ci o - e d u ca t i o n a l
m easur es and t he pr event ion of infr act ions t han w it h
adolescent s w ho w ere abandoned or infr inged in t heir
right s. This m ainly occur s in t hat gr oup of adolescent s
w ho experience sit uat ions of ext r em e social and fam ily
hum iliat ion, v iolence, dr ug addict ion, lack of suppor t
for t heir physical and psychic developm ent , w hich ar e
v er y f r equ en t h ist or ies.
Despit e t he exist ing concer n by pr ofessionals
w h o c o n t a c t a d o l e s c e n t s t h r o u g h p r o j e c t s a n d
p r og r am s, t h er e is n o sy st em ized st u d y r eg ar d in g
adolescent care policies in São Carlos, SP, obj ect and
m o t i v a t i o n o f t h i s s t u d y. I n f a c t , i n a r e s e a r c h
per f or m ed in t h e f ir st sem est er of t h is y ear, du r in g
t he fir st phase of t his st udy, w e v er ified t hr ough t he
m ain d at ab ases t h at t h er e ar e m an y st u d ies ab ou t
specif ic issu es, bu t r ar ely abou t policies dir ect ed at
ad o l escen t s. I n ad d i t i o n , i n r ecen t y ear s, sp eci f i c
ser v ices hav e cr eat ed t o at t end adolescent s in or der
t o allow t hem t o claim t heir r ight s. Thus, t his st udy
aim s t o support t he renovat ion of t he polit ical pr oj ect
of adolescent car e in t he m unicipal scope.
STUDY OBJECTI VES
Th is st u d y aim s t o g et t o k n ow ad olescen t
car e pr ogr am s, t heir goals or m ot iv at ions.
METHODOLOGY
This is a descr ipt ive st udy t hat uses t he Pr axis
I n t er v en t ion Th eor y in Collect iv e Healt h Nu r sin g( 9 ), m a i n l y i n c a p t u r i n g t h e o b j e c t i v e r e a l i t y o f t h e
inst it ut ions t hat at t end adolescent s in São Carlos, SP.
Th e st u d y scen ar io is São Car los, a cit y in
t h e Nor t h east of São Pau lo, locat ed at 2 2 8 k m fr om
t he capit al, w it h a geogr aphical ar ea of 1,141km , w it h
a n u r b a n p e r i m e t e r o f 6 7 . 2 5 k m . Th e c u r r e n t
p o p u l at i o n , acco r d i n g t o t h e Br azi l i an I n st i t u t e o f
Ge o g r a p h y a n d S t a t i s t i c s , a m o u n t s t o 1 9 2 , 9 9 8
inhabit ant s, 35,000 of w hom ar e adolescent s bet w een
10 and 19 year s old. The cit y’s econom y is based on
indust rial and agricult ural act ivit ies and is part of t he
“ m ilk belt ” in São Paulo St at e; it also produces orange,
sugar cane, t om at o, coffee, cor n, r ice, eggs, chick en
and m eat . The cit y is a cent er of high t echnology in
t h e cou n t r y, h ou ses sev er al in d u st r ies, f r om w h ich
m or e t h an 7 0 pr odu ce h igh t ech n ology pr odu ct s( 1 0 ). Cu r r e n t l y, t h e r e a r e t w o p u b l i c u n i v e r si t i e s: t h e
Un i v e r si t y o f Sã o Pa u l o a n d Sã o Ca r l o s Fe d e r a l
Un iv er sit y, b esid es t w o r esear ch u n it s of EMBRAPA
and t w o pr ivat e colleges, w it h ar ound 8,000 st udent s
an d 2 , 5 0 0 r esear ch er s. São Car los, SP h as becom e
o n e o f t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t B r a z i l i a n c e n t e r s i n
t ech n olog y, ed u cat ion an d scien ce. Th u s, b ased on
t he descr ipt ions ex posed her e, w e consider it a v er y
appr opr iat e f ield f or t h e r ealizat ion of t h e r esear ch
pr oposed in t his st udy.
Th e st u dy u ses pr im ar y sou r ces ( r epor t s of
act or s in v olv ed in t h e pr ogr am s’ m an agem en t ) an d
secondar y docum ent ar y sour ces ( pr ogr am s, pr oj ect s,
r epor t s and r egim ent s) . To ident ify exist ing adolescent
ca r e p r o g r a m s, a su r v e y w a s ca r r i e d o u t a m o n g
en t it ies r espon sible for t h e r egist r at ion of pr ogr am s
or w h ich w or k specif ically w it h t h is popu lat ion . Th e
m ain sour ce t o ident ify t he pr ogr am s is t he r egist r y
of t he Municipal Council of Children’s and Adolescent s’
Ri g h t s ( MCCAR) , i n l i n e w i t h CAS d et er m i n at i o n s.
Be si d e s, t h e Mu n i ci p a l Se cr e t a r i e s o f Ed u ca t i o n ,
Heal t h , Sp o r t s an d Lei su r e, Ch i l d h o o d an d Yo u t h ,
Cit izen sh ip an d Social Wor k also par t icipat ed in t h e
recognit ion of t hese program s, as w ell as t he Municipal
Council of Cit izenship and Social Wor k .
A f t e r t h e i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f p r o g r a m s ,
inst it ut ions and pr oj ect s, int er v iew s w er e per for m ed
w i t h t h e h e a d s o f t h e i n s t i t u t i o n s , t h r o u g h a
sem ist r u ct u r ed q u est ion n air e. Th e in t er v iew s w er e
co n t en t o r an sw er an al y si s. Becau se t h e r esear ch
deals w it h hum an beings, t he pr oj ect needed appr oval
from t he I nst it ut ional Review Board of t he USP School
of Nur sing ( Resolut ion 196/ 96 CONEP) .
RESULTS AND DI SCUSSI ON
I n t ot al, 4 4 pr ogr am s w er e iden t ified w h ich
ar e r egist er ed at t h e cou n cils an d/ or af f iliat ed w it h
t h e m u n icip al secr et ar ies. Tw en t y in st it u t ion s w er e
i n t e r v i e w e d , c o i n c i d e n t a l l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r 4 4
pr ogr am s. The r em ainder w as not int er view ed due t o
t h e follow in g r eason s: did n ot per m it t h e in t er v iew ,
ch an g ed g oal s, or d i d n ot an sw er w i t h i n t h e d at a
collect ion per iod.
I n g en er al , t h e ad o l escen t car e p r o g r am s
i n d i ca t e f o u r m a i n p u r p o se s o r m o t i v a t i o n s:
pr ofessionalizat ion, com plem ent ar y educat ion, spor t s
and healt h/ educat ion. The fir st is dir ect ed at t he age
range from 14 t o 18, t he second t o t he group bet ween
12 and 14 years and t he last t wo t o t he group from 12
t o 18, t hough m or e ser vices ar e pr ovided t o childr en
up t o t he age of 14. Besides t hese pr ogr am s, ot her s
aim t o im plem ent socio- educat ional m easures described
in t he CAS, t o provide shelt er and im plem ent act ivit ies
p e r f o r m e d i n co m m u n i t y ce n t e r s. Th e
pr ofessionalizat ion m ot iv at ion is per for m ed by t h r ee
philant hropic inst it ut ions t hat offer t he following courses:
adm inist rat ive aid, bakery, candy confect ion, carpent ry,
e l e ct r i ci t y, a e r o g r a p h y, d r e ssm a k i n g a n d j e w e l r y
m aking, hairdressing and inform at ics. Aft er t he courses,
adolescent s are offered paid t raining t hat can last up t o
t wo years and/ or unt il t hey are 18 years old.
Besides offering courses, t he inst it ut ions also
offer food, while one of t hem also possesses an act ivit y
for adolescent s delayed in school, j oint ly w it h SESI –
So ci a l Se r v i ce o f t h e I n d u st r y. Th e a d o l e sce n t ’s
insert ion in t his kind of care m ost ly occurs because of
fam ilies’ spont aneous cont act , alt hough a sm all part is
referred by t he Just ice Depart m ent . I n t he first case,
aft er regist ering in t he program s, t he adolescent t akes
general knowledge, Port uguese and m at hem at ics t est s.
Those appr ov ed go t o t he second select ion cr it er ion,
which is t he socioeconom ic sit uat ion and personal and
so ci a l r i sk si t u a t i o n , w h i ch i s e v a l u a t e d t h r o u g h
int er v iew s w it h t he adolescent s and t heir fam ilies. I n
case of a draw, younger candidat es r eceiv e pr ior it y.
Adolescent are obliged t o at t end school t o part icipat e
in t hese pr ogr am s. On t he av er age, t he dem and for
t h is ser v ice is t h r ee t o f ou r t im es h ig h er t h an t h e
available places, t hat is, around 730.
When quest ioned about t heir obj ect iv es and
purposes, t he inst it ut ions present ed dist inct concerns:
one of t hem r epor t s t he pr event ion of infr act ions and
r ed u ct ion of id len ess an d con seq u en t ex p osit ion t o
crim inalit y as it s m ain obj ect ive. The rem ainder focuses
on t r aining and pr ofessionalizat ion for t he j ob m ar ket ,
w hile one of t hem specifically report s t hat t his kind of
oppor t unit y is dir ect ed at low - incom e adolescent s.
The difficult ies t he inst it ut ions present ed were:
lack of financial resources t o increase places; hire m ore
hum an resources; lack of own headquart ers; a m inorit y
of adolescent s w ho ar e not able t o par t icipat e in t he
pr ogr am . Regar ding w or k in line w it h t he CAS, all of
t h em af f ir m ad eq u at e com p lian ce, w it h on e of t h e
inst it ut ions m ent ioning art icles 68 and 69 ( w hich rule
on t he prevalence of t he educat ive over t he product ive
a sp ect , co n si d er a t i o n o f t h e p ecu l i a r co n d i t i o n o f
developing per sons and adequat e t r aining for t he j ob
m a r k e t ) , w h i l e t h e o t h e r s m e n t i o n t h e r i g h t t o
pr ofessionalizat ion in gener al. They also m ent ion t he
insert ion of t he Tut elary Council when t he adolescent is
som ehow exposed t o personal and social risks.
The second and m ost fr equent m ot iv at ion of
t h ese pr ogr am s is t h e com p lem en t ar y ed u cat ion of
ch ildr en an d adolescen t s bet w een 1 2 an d 1 4 y ear s
o l d . Th e f i r st r eq u i r em en t t o p a r t i ci p a t e i n t h ese
pr ogr am s is t o be r egist er ed and at t end school, w hile
t h e s e c o n d i s l i n k e d m a i n l y t o i n c o m e . S p e c i a l
c o n c e s s i o n s a r e m a d e i n c a s e o f p e r s o n a l r i s k
( v iolen ce, dr u g u se, ex plor at ion s…) . I n gen er al, t h e
act ivit ies offered deal w it h: food, leisure, ext ra classes,
handw or k w or k shops, fam ily or ient at ion, infor m at ics,
h y g i e n e a n d r e l i g i o u s o r i e n t a t i o n . Tw o o t h e r
inst it ut ions can be included in t his it em because t hey
offer t he sam e act iv it ies but per m it adolescent s w ho
a r e n o t a t t e n d i n g s c h o o l t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e i r
pr ogr am s. Thus, t hey giv e an oppor t unit y t o people
w ho are already in a personal and social risk sit uat ion,
such as young people living in t he st r eet s for exam ple.
These last t w o do not have a definit e num ber of places
an d w elcom e ev er y on e w h o sh ow s u p . Bot h r ep or t
great variat ion in t hese adolescent s’ part icipat ion, and
t h at t h ey ar e n ot discon n ect ed f r om t h e in st it u t ion
like in ot her cases because t hey underst and t hat t his
populat ion r equir es t his flex ibilit y.
I n t h e ot h er six in st it u t ion s, t h e sear ch f or
places is t w ice t he num ber av ailable, w hich is about
inst it ut ions are st rongly focused on t he idea of t aking
t hese poor adolescent s off t he st reet and keeping t hem
b u sy w i t h act i v i t i es. Th i s w ay, t h ey b el i ev e t o b e
keeping t his populat ion away from t he crim inalit y, drug
u se an d ot h er r isk sit u at ion s. On ly on e em ph asizes
t he obj ect iv e of r ecov er ing self- est eem and w or k ing
w it h t he adolescent s’ pot ent ial. The lack of m oney is
t h e m ost fr equ en t difficu lt y t h e in st it u t ion s pr esen t ,
a l t h o u g h t h e r e i s a l s o a c e r t a i n l a c k o f h u m a n
resources and own headquart ers. I nt erest ing quest ions
em erged regarding polit icians’ lack of knowledge about
t he per for m ed w or k and also about t he dem and t hat
univ er sit ies in t he cit y should som ehow cont r ibut e t o
t he inst it ut ion. Societ y’s prej udice t owards adolescent s
at t ending t hese inst it ut ions was report ed by one of t hem
as on e of t h e m ain d if f icu lt ies t o in t er v en e in t h is
populat ion. Valuing and r ecov er ing dignit y, access t o
leisur e, educat ion, alim ent at ion, cit izenship, par ent s’
r espon sibilit y, bein g in a h ealt hy env ir on m en t , w er e
som e of t he concept s m ent ioned r egar ding t he w or k
realized according t o t he CAS. One of t he inst it ut ions
d em a n d ed t h e ex p a n si o n o f t h e w o r k d i r ect ed a t
fam ilies and t he public power’s great er part icipat ion in
providing t hese adolescent s access t o t heir right s. Only
one of t hem report ed not using t he CAS as a reference.
The m ot ivat ion for educat ion and healt h w as
found in five pr ogr am s: t w o linked t o m ent al disor der ;
on e t o ph y sical disabilit ies; on e t o fissu r ed lips an d
hearing disabilit ies; and t he last one relat ed t o m ent al
healt h. Except for t he first t w o, w hich deal w it h special
e d u ca t i o n sch o o l s a n d p r e p a r a t i o n f o r w o r k , t h e
rem ainder is linked direct ly w it h healt h care and social
inclusion. The ent r ance t o t hese ser v ices r equir es an
ev al u at i o n b y a m u l t i d i sci p l i n ar y t eam o r m ed i cal
r ef er r al. Cu r r en t ly, 1 6 3 adolescen t s ar e at t en ded in
t his service and it s dem and var ies a lot , w hich m akes
it difficult t o pr ecisely det er m ine it . Few w or ker s and
lack of f in an cial r esou r ces ar e t h e m ain dif f icu lt ies.
The societ y ’s pr ej udice in r elat ion t o t his populat ion
c r e a t e s m a n y o b s t a c l e s f o r i t s s o c i a l i n c l u s i o n .
Con sider at ion s r egar din g t h e CAS appear in a v er y
diffu se w ay, r elat ed t o pr ot ect ion an d sear ch of t h e
Tu t e l a r y Co u n c i l i n s i t u a t i o n s o f t r e a t m e n t
aban don m en t or m ist r eat m en t by r elat iv es.
Ther e ar e t w o pr ogr am s in t he cit y r egar ding
sp or t : on e w it h t en p r oj ect s f r om t h e Leisu r e an d
Sp or t s Secr et ar y an d an ot h er f r om a p h ilan t h r op ic
soccer sch ool. Bot h assist ad olescen t s w h o con t act
t h em spon t an eou sly, w it h a lar ge n u m ber of places
( a r o u n d 1 5 0 0 ) t h a t a r e so m et i m e s n o t o ccu p i ed .
Th e y e v a l u a t e t h a t t h i s o ccu r s d u e t o a l a ck o f
p u b licit y, as w ell as d if f icu lt y in t r an sp or t at ion an d
adh er en ce t o t h e pr oj ect s. For m in g cit izen s t h r ou gh
spor t s, t he spor t , com pet it ion, leisur e and coor dinat ed
ph y sical act iv it y ar e t h e obj ect iv es an d pu r poses of
t hese inst it ut ions, w hose goal is t o ex pand t he supply
of spor t s m odalit ies an d t h e u n der st an din g of spor t
a s t h e p o p u l a t i o n ’ s r i g h t t o l e i su r e , cu l t u r e a n d
or ient ed phy sical act iv it y and t o healt hy liv ing habit s,
including for t he im plem ent at ion of spor t s and leisur e
public policies. Bot h pr ogr am s believ e t hat spor t can
aggr egat e st r engt hs t o t he ot her w or k per for m ed in
t he cit y and add an educat iv e char act er t o for m at ion
o f c i t i z e n s h i p a n d c o n q u e s t o f s o c i a l e q u a l i t y .
H o w e v e r, t o a c h i e v e t h i s , t h e r e i s a l a c k o f
u n d er st an d in g b y t h e m an ag er s of t h e secr et ar ies
on t h e on e h an d , an d a lack of h ar m on y b et w een
t he philant hr opic inst it ut ions on t he ot her. They r epor t
f ollow in g t h e CAS as a pr in ciple.
Th e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f so ci o - e d u ca t i o n a l
m easur es m ent ioned in t he st at ut e is being per for m ed
by t w o of t he 20 inst it ut ions t hat w er e int er v iew ed:
o n e o f t h e m i s r e sp o n si b l e f o r t h e w e l co m i n g o f
a d o l e s c e n t s r e f e r r e d b y t h e p o l i c y, s e l e c t i o n ,
orient at ion and referral t o ot her services in t he region,
s u p p o r t a n d f a m i l y o r i e n t a t i o n , p u b l i c d e f e n s e ,
r ecor ds, init ial car e in a confinem ent r egim e and by
pr ov isor y con fin em en t for u p t o 4 5 day s. Th e ot h er
i n s t i t u t i o n a d m i n i s t e r s s e r v i c e d e l i v e r y t o t h e
com m unit y, assist ed fr eedom and sem i fr eedom . The
su m o f p l a ce s o f f e r e d t h r o u g h a l l t h e se se r v i ce s
r eaches 245 adolescent s. The obj ect iv es ar e dir ect ed
linked t o com pliance w it h Tit le I I I of t he CAS – about
t he pract ice of Offenses. The difficult ies in t he act ivit ies
are m ainly relat ed w it h t he int egrat ion of sect ors and
int er act ion bet w een par t ner s, w hich cr eat e obst acles
and incr ease t he t im e of r esponse bet w een ser v ices.
Th e w o r k w i t h f am i l i es h as al so b een a t ar g et o f
d i scu ssi o n , w i t h a v i e w t o t h e i m p r o v e m e n t a n d
ef f icacy of car e. Th e sem i f r eed om p r og r am of f er s
p laces t o m ale ad olescen t s on ly an d , w h en f em ale
yout hs need t o be included, pr ovisional and alt er nat ive
m easu r es ar e t ak en .
Ther e ar e t w o shelt er s in t he cit y for children
and adolescent s bet w een 0 and 17 year s. They r epor t
t o follow CAS guidelines. How ever, one of t he shelt er ’s
largest difficult ies is t o provide int egral care t o children
and adolescent s. I t is bet t er fit t o w or k in t he social
ar ea an d seek s a par t n er sh ip in t h e edu cat ion ar ea
Finally, t he nine Com m unit y Cent ers linked t o
t he Secret ary of Cit izenship and Social Work carry out
act ivit ies t hat m ost at t ract children’s and adolescent s’
at t ent ion and per m it t heir par t icipat ion: soccer, j azz,
dancing, m ov ie t heat er and st or y t elling w or k shops.
Their at t endance t o t he CC is high, t hough it v ar ies
according t o t he region and act ivit ies offered. At t endance
is higher in t hree of t hem , around 350 adolescent s. I n
general, t hey oft en serve as social work cent ers ( such
as in cases of cam paigns t o collect and dist ribut e clot hes
and food) , t hough t hey m ix com m unit y act ivit ies, leisure
and cult ure, depending on t he professional at work and
o n t h e w ay t h e l o cal co m m u n i t y u n d er st an d s an d
occupies t he space. The right t o childhood, recreat ion,
leisure and cult ure are appoint ed as form s of com pliance
w it h t he CAS, alt hough it can be per ceiv ed t hat t he
pot ent ial of t his resource could be m uch bet t er explored
if t here were a m ore collaborat ive public care policy.
I n g e n e r a l , b e n e f i t s w e r e i n d i c a t e d f o r
a d o l e s c e n t s w h o m a n a g e t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e
program s exist ing in t he cit y. How ever, except for t he
sp o r t s a n d so ci o - e d u ca t i o n a l m e a su r e s, a l l o t h e r
p r og r am s r eceiv e a m u ch h ig h er d em an d t h an t h e
num ber of places offer ed. Each of t hese inst it ut ions
has a differ ent m ain m ot iv at ion, ev en w hen t he k ind
of care is sim ilar, as show n in t he follow ing figur e:
Figur e 1 – Main obj ect iv e of pr ogr am s/ pr oj ect s
0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3 3,5
1
Social inclusion
Prevent delinquency
Attend low-income adolescents Form the citizen through sports
Take the adolescents off the street
Implementation of socio-educational measures Recover self-esteem
Professionalization
Attend adolescents in risk situation
Attend adolescents with mental impairment The care policy is not clear
0 1000 2000 3000 4000
Community centers Shelter Sports Socio-educational measures Complementary educational Professionalization Health/Education
No. Places Demand
Figur e 2 – Rat io of dem and on av ailable places
I t can be per ceiv ed t hat t he pr ogr am s focus
on w hat som e aut hor s affir m about adolescence and
about t he phenom ena t hat ar e linked t o t his concept ,
su ch as, f or ex am p le, t h e d u r at ion , b eh av ior s an d
for m s of ar t iculat ion t hat are t aught dur ing t he child’s
socializat ion pr ocess, and var y according t o t he societ y
and cult ur e t hey ar e inser t ed in( 3). Ther e is no clear under st anding of adolescence as a social phenom enon,
w i t h r ef l ex es o n t h e w ay ad o l escen t s ar e so ci al l y
i n s e r t e d i n t h e c u r r e n t p r o d u c t i o n m o d e . Th e
per cept ion of t h e st u dy( 7 ) per f or m ed bet w een 1 9 9 4 a n d 1 9 9 6 , w h i c h e v a l u a t e d t h e c o v e r a g e , t h e
a p p r o p r i a t e n e ss, a cce ssi b i l i t y a n d h e a l t h se r v i ce
usage pat t er n by adolescent s fr om t he com m unit y of
Em aú, Belém , PA, Br azil, st ill holds. I t dem onst r at ed
a good level of appr opr iat eness of t he pr ogr am t o it s
pu r pose, alt h ou gh it n eeded adj u st m en t s especially
in t he it em hum an r esour ces, w it h m ainly indiv idual
and cur at ive car e. The aut hor s gave r ecom m endat ions
i n t e r m s o f ch a n g i n g t h e p r e v a l e n t ca r e m o d e l ,
em p h asizin g p r ev en t iv e, collect iv e an d ed u cat ion al
m easures, w it h a view t o great er efficacy pot ent ial in
pr om ot ing t he healt h of t he adolescent populat ion.
Going back in hist ory, social concern w it h t he
y ou t h ap p ear s as f r om t h e m od er n in d u st r ial ag e,
w hen t he int er est in t he y oung’s t echnical capabilit y
for w or k em er ged. Coin ciden ce or n ot , t h e m aj or it y
of pr ogr am s and pr oj ect s cur r ent ly ex ist ent in Br azil
t o at t end adolescent s is r elat ed t o t r aining t he yout h
for w ork, for t he insert ion in t he capit alist product ion
m ode. Her e w e t alk about young people fr om cer t ain
so ci a l cl a sses, t o w h o m t h e p o l i t i ca l p r o j ect s a r e
d ir ect ed .
I t is r em ar k able t h at , alt h ou gh m ost of t h e
in st it u t ion s r ep or t t h at t h eir ob j ect iv es f ollow CAS
gu idelin es, n on e of t h em pu t gu ar an t eed access t o
t he ser vices as a pr ior it y. That is, t hey act on cer t ain
asp ect s of ad olescen t lif e, w h et h er lack of in com e,
r isk sit u at ion , loss of self - est eem , in v olv em en t or
o ccu r r e n ce o f o f f e n se s o r e v e n t h e p o ssi b i l i t y o f
becom in g a t h r eat t o societ y. Th is in f or m at ion is in
accor dan ce w it h an ot h er st u dy( 1 1 ), w h ich at t em pt ed t o get t o k now t he place occupied by adolescent s in
t h e dom in an t Pu blic Healt h discou r se r egar din g t h e
adolescen t s’ in t egr al h ealt h . I t per m it t ed t o iden t ify
t h e r eal r eceiv er s of t h e Adolescen t I n t egr al Healt h
Pr ogr am : poor adolescent s. I t can also be ident ified
t hat public policies w ork as m eans of social regulat ion,
m at erializing cert ain est ablished social cont ract s, w hich
CONCLUSI ONS
The inst it ut ions under st udy are very different
m ut ually in t er m s of obj ect ives, size of t ar get public,
age group, religious or lay orient at ion, kind and quant it y
of workers, am ong ot hers. While t he m aj orit y of t hem
focus on care act ivit ies and com plem ent ary educat ion,
ot her s offer pr ofessionalizing t r aining, spor t s, healt h
care and educat ion, and finally, som e at t end exclusively
offenders, whet her by providing shelt er and act ions t o
adolescent s in personal and social risk sit uat ions or by
im p lem en t in g socio- ed u cat ion al m easu r es, su ch as
service delivery t o t he com m unit y and assist ed or sem i
freedom . Educat ing adolescent s t hrough sport s and t o
pr ev ent delinquency ar e t he m ot iv at ions or pur poses
t hat cover t he m aj orit y of adolescent s. Alt hough t here
are several inst it ut ions t o at t end t he adolescent , m uch
rem ains t o be done for t he orchest rat ion and synergism
of t heir act ions, wit h a view t o achieving t he Child and
Adolescent St at ut e.
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