Public policies for children and young people in Brazil: viewpoints from the two Guardianship Councils in the city of Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil

Abstract

This article sets out to discuss public policies for children and young people in Brazil, focusing on the Guardianship Councils in the city of Novo Hamburgo, Regions 1 and 2. This choice was made due to the fact that the guardianship council is one of the main institutions that was created through the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA). Based on the question: “How are public policies for children and young people implemented in the selected Guardianship Councils?”, the aim is to reveal the relationship between public policies and the ECA, demonstrating what the guardianship councils are and analyzing how the Guardianship Councils of Novo Hamburgo discuss public policies in everyday life and how they relate to other institutions responsible for implementing public policies for children and young people. The starting point is taken from a literature review, an ethnographic exercise conducted at the headquarters of the two Guardianship Councils and non-directive interviews with councilors. Throughout these experiences, although public policies are understood as being fundamental for the action of these Councils, they nonetheless do not have the necessary force to guarantee the rights stipulated by the ECA.