WHAT DOES “ENCHANCED CARE” MEANS?
Caregivers, in the care institutions, and foster parents, in the foster families, will receive training to develop evidence based care practices with the children in their care.
WHAT IS “FOSTER CARE”?
“Foster families," as the participants in foster care are called, are voluntary families registered and monitored by the child protection system, who take in children who have been removed from the care of their families of origin and provide for them until a permanent care plan is developed for them.
Foster parents are responsible for the complete care of children in their homes. These voluntary families are regularly visited by a foster family service, that is, psychologists and social workers, who provide support for the care of the child and act as intermediaries with the justice system.
WHAT IS “INSTITUTIONAL CARE”?
An institution is a residential childcare agency or home where more than 12 children are received and maintained for 24-hour care for the purpose of providing them with care or training, or both.
Their main caregivers are called “Social Educators,” professionals hired by the institution, who work on a system of rotating shifts to care for the children.
By law in Brazil, institutional care is considered only when the foster care is not possible, although it remains the most common form of care for young children in the system in Sao Paolo. It is an exceptional protection measure, used as a form of transition to family reintegration or, if this is not possible, to placement in a substitute family.
Out-of-home childcare in Brazil
In Brazil, the reality experienced in the child protection system contrasts with what is determined in the legislation.
Thus, although the Statute of the Child and Adolescent guides the prioritization of foster care for children cared for by the State, the availability of foster care families and services is not sufficient to meet the requirements of this guideline.
Thus, most children who are included in the Brazilian protection system are referred to care in institutional care facilities, as can be seen in the following chart.
Source: Sistema Nacional de Adoção e Acolhimento/Conselho Nacional de Justiça