Social work in the public services in Brazil - disclosing ruling relations in a local context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v12i2.152Keywords:
professional social work, professional practice, Brazil, institutional ethnography, social constructionAbstract
This article about social workers in the public social services in Brazil explores professional social work practice through the subjective standpoint of the social workers. Inspired by institutional ethnography, this approach explicates how understandings of social work are interpreted and implemented in various contexts. The findings show that the formalization of the relationship with the employer through contracts of employment implicate that the disciplinary normative definitions of social work succumb to institutional regulations, which are not necessarily discipline specific. In addition, the temporary character of the contracts of employment makes the social workers align their practice to institutional frameworks and demands, as they are personally interested in renewal of the contracts and the maintenance of their professional careers. With this approach, disciplinary, political, ideological, legal and moral definitions of social work are not viewed as the essences of social work, but rather as contextual processes that are locally activated in different contexts. At the same time, it underscores social work as a political profession which should naturally include interventions on political, juridical, economic and organizational levels. Consequently, professional social work is not one thing, nor only one profession, but rather professional practices adapted to a variation of contexts. This perspective is significant to help detect areas of intervention for social change.
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Smith, D. E. (2005). Institutional ethnography: A sociology for people. Lanham, Md: AltaMira.
Truell, R. (2014). Report to the IFSW general meeting on the review of the global definition of social work. Retrieved from http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/ifsw_94359-2.pdf
van Ewijk, H. (2009). Citizenship-based social work. International Social Work, 52(2), 167-179. doi:10.1177/0020872808099728
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Campbell, M., & Gregor, F. (2008). Mapping social relations: A primer in doing institutional ethnography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Carey, M. (2014). Mind the Gaps: Understanding the Rise and Implications of Different Types of Cynicism within Statutory Social Work. British Journal of Social Work, 44(1), 127-144. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcs098
CFESS (2005). Serviço Social é Profissão. Assistência Social é Política Pública. In Conselho Federal de Serviço Social (Ed.), CFESS Manifesta (Vol. December 2005).
CFESS (2011). Prelimenary Draft for the Workshop on the IFSW Global Definition of Social Work. Retrieved from http://www.cfess.org.br/arquivos/text_eng.pdf
CNAS (2011). Resolução no. 17 de 20 junho 2011. In Conselho Nacional de Assistência Social (Ed.).
Corry, O. (2010). Defining and Theorizing the Third Sector. In R. Taylor (Ed.), Third Sector Research (pp. 11-20). New York, NY: Springer New York.
Costa, A. F. d. S., & Cardoso, C. L. (2010). Inserção do Psicólogo em Centros de Referência de Assistência Social. Revista Interinstitucional de Psicologia, 3(2), 223-229.
da Silva, V. R., da Fonseca, F. F., & Mello, R. (2009). Atuação profissional no SUAS: Desafios e possibilidades para os assistentes sociais. Sociedade em Debate, 15(1), 135-146.
Dellgran, P., & Höjer, S. (2012). The politics of social work research—Ph.D. theses in Sweden. European Journal of Social Work, 15(4), 581-597. doi:10.1080/13691457.2012.710875
DeVault, M., & McCoy, L. (2006). Institutional Ethnography: Using interviews to investigate ruling relations. In D. E. Smith (Ed.), Institutional ethnography as practice (pp. 15-44). Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield.
Etzioni, A. (1996). The new golden rule: Community and morality in a democratic society. New York: Basic Books.
Françozo, M. d. F. d. C., & Cassorla, R. M. S. (2004). Rewards and Frustrations of Being a Social Worker: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Social Work Practice, 18(2), 211-221. doi:10.1080/0265053042000231025
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine.
Hare, I. (2004). Defining Social Work for the 21st Century: The International Federation of Social Workers' Revised Definition of Social Work. International Social Work, 47(3), 407-424. doi:10.1177/0020872804043973
Iamamoto, M., & Carvalho, R. d. (1982 [2014]). Relações sociais e serviço social no Brasil - esboço de uma interpretação histórico-metodológica (40 ed.). São Paulo: Cortez Editora.
IFSW (2014, July 2014). Global Definition of Social Work. Policies. Retrieved from http://ifsw.org/policies/definition-of-social-work/
Lipsky, M. (2010 [1980]). Street-level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public services (30th anniversary expanded ed.). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Lopes, J. R. (2004). Terceiro setor: A organização das políticas sociais e a nova esfera pública. [Third sector: The organization of social policies and the new public sphere ]. São Paulo em Perspetiva, 18(3), 57-66.
Lopes, R. E., & Malfitano, A. P. S. (2006). Ação social e intersetorialidade: Relato de uma experiência na interface entre saúde, educação e cultura. [Social work and intersectionality: Accounts of an experience in the interface between health, education and culture]. Interface - Comunicação, Saúde, Educação, 10(20), 505-515.
Lopez, F. G., de Souza Leão, L., & Grangeia, M. L. (2011). State, Third Sector, and the Political Sphere in Brazil. International Journal of Sociology, 41(2), 50-73. doi:10.2753/IJS0020-7659410203
Lyons, K. (2012). The SAGE Handbook of International Social Work. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
MDS (2004). Política nacional de assistência social/ Norma Operacional Básica. Brasília.
MDS (2009). Norma Operacional Básica de Recursos Humanos do Sistema Único de Assistência Social– NOB-RH/SUAS. Brasília.
Montaño, C. (2012). Social work theory– practice relationship: Challenges to overcoming positivist and postmodern fragmentation. International Social Work, 55(3), 306-319. doi:10.1177/0020872812437226
Mota, A. E. (2013). Serviço Social brasileiro: Profissão e área do conhecimento. Revista Katálysis, 16, 17-27.
Murphy, J. (2010). The Dark Side. In R. Taylor (Ed.), Third Sector Research. New York: Springer.
Payne, M. (2006). What is Professional Social Work? Chicago: Lyceum Books Inc.
Payne, M. (2014). Modern social work theory (4th ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
PMV (2014). Gerência de atenção à família. Vitória.
Portal Brasil (2017). Sistema Único de Assistência Social reforçou profissionalização no setor. Retrieved from http://www.brasil.gov.br/cidadania-e-justica/2016/05/implantacao-do-suas-reforcou-profissionalizacao-na-assistencia-social
Quintino, T. D., de Mattos, A. T. R., Barbosa, D. C. M., & Forster, A. C. (2012). As contribuições do assistente social no campo da promoção da saúde: Desafios e possibilidades. [The contributions of the social worker in the field of health promotion: Challenges and opportunities]. Revista de Atenção Primária à Saúde, 15(3), 345-355.
Saracostti, M., Reininger, T., & Parada, H. (2012). Social Work in Latin America. In K. Lyons (Ed.), The SAGE Handbook of International Social Work (pp. 466-479). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Silva, C. E. G. (2010). Gestão, legislação e fontes de recursos no terceiro setor brasileiro: Uma perspectiva histórica. [Management, legislation and funding sources in the Brazilian third sector: A historical perspective]. Revista de Administração Publica, 44(6), 1301-1325.
Smith, D. E. (2005). Institutional ethnography: A sociology for people. Lanham, Md: AltaMira.
Truell, R. (2014). Report to the IFSW general meeting on the review of the global definition of social work. Retrieved from http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/ifsw_94359-2.pdf
van Ewijk, H. (2009). Citizenship-based social work. International Social Work, 52(2), 167-179. doi:10.1177/0020872808099728
Weiss, I. (2005). Is There a Global Common Core to Social Work? A Cross-National Comparative
Published
2017-12-12
How to Cite
Heitmann, T. (2017). Social work in the public services in Brazil - disclosing ruling relations in a local context. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 12(2), 123–146. https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v12i2.152
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