“Quando eu soltar a minha voz, por favor, entenda”: a criança no processamento do trabalho do/a assistente social no Poder Judiciário

Abstract

The objective of this research was to analyze the professional work of social workers in approaching children, based on experiences developed in the Judiciary. Our initial hypotheses were that: 1) a significant portion of the professional segment resists listening to children; 2) the usual conception of the interview adopted by Social Work ignores the particularities arising from the peculiar condition of a person in development, which means that 3) the child as a subject is still restricted to the scope of professional rhetoric. Methodologically, bibliographical research, focus groups, application of an online questionnaire and analysis of technical documents produced by social workers in the year 2022 were used. The results indicate that despite the literary gap on the subject, which produces insecurities for professional intervention, the social workers participating in this study are not resistant to listening to children. Most children involved in lawsuits are heard in the Judiciary, in circumstances of court hearing or psychological/social study. Psychologists and social workers are primarily responsible for listening to children in the Brazilian Judiciary. Children who have not yet developed the ability to communicate or who, due to illness, have impaired communication are not heard in the Judiciary. The objectives of the social worker's approach to the child are divided between collecting information from the children and providing information to them. There is a predominance of the expression interview, followed by attendance and observation as the most common denominations for these approaches. The children attend the forums and are taken to a meeting with the social worker in a private room. There are cases in which the approach takes place at the child's home and, less frequently, during institutional visits. Most professionals reported extensive use of playful resources during interventions with children, with emphasis on the use of toys, drawings and reading books. Playfulness works as a resource for accessing the child, mediating the establishment of the relationship with the professional. The manifestation of the children greatly influences the technical opinion forwarded to the Judges/Judges of Law for decision. On the other hand, experience has become an important source of knowledge for social workers, who do a lot with children – with quality – but they do not discuss, nor systematize. New studies are needed on the subject