Serviço Social e avaliações de negligência contra criança e adolescente: debates no campo da ética profissional

Abstract

Assessments of cases of suspected negligence with child and adolescent done by social workers make up the core of this dissertation. The questioning regarding the theoretical and methodological repertoire and moral dimension found in these situations become more relevant once the intention of the research is to reveal, in daily work, how these evaluations are materialized from the perspective of those who perform, the social workers. Thereto, apart from bibliographic research on the subject, it was also established - as part of the qualitative methodology - conducting semi-structured interviews with six randomly chosen social workers enrolled in different socio-occupational activities that offer assistance to families, and, among other demands, present situations of suspected neglect. Therefore, the two chapters deal with: 1 - evaluate critically and historically the interface among the Social Work, Children and Professional Ethics, dialoguing with their main characteristics; 2 - present field research, explaining the methodology and the main findings of the research. As part of the findings, there is a moral dimension and the use of value judgments in assessments of neglect, with predominant use of negative values by social workers. Noteworthy is also the perception of "neutrality" by the subject, reiterating the myth of the professional impartiality; the insufficient problematization on the ethical dimension in professional practice. Finally, we suggest the use of the concept of overcoming neglect, considering its current use filled with prejudice, and to review it guided by the perspective of protection and no protection