"I had neither a mother nor a father": Child care and neglect for Brazilian families

Abstract

Background: Child neglect is a violation of rights, but it is often disregarded because it does not present physical and precise signs, especially in countries in the Global South.

Aim: To explore the meanings attributed to child care and neglect from the perspective of families under the supervision of a Guardianship Council.

Participants and setting: This study was conducted with 20 perpetrators of child neglect, referenced by the Guardianship Council from the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Methods: This is a qualitative study anchored in the Complex Paradigm Framework, and conducted through semi-structured interviews and field diaries between January and March 2021. Data analysis was performed through reflexive thematic analysis.

Results: Two themes were listed, entitled "Care and Neglect" and "Historicity and Neglect". The first demonstrated that there are elements which comprehend neglect in a simplifying and normative logic, pointing to women as the culprit of violent practices. Child neglect is considered a process, needing to be seen in a multidimensional aspect. The second revealed the historical and learned nature of not caring, denoting an absence of public policies to protect the perpetrators of neglect during their childhood and adolescence. Elements were noted which demonstrate a search for overcoming the path experienced, still without interprofessional and intersectoral support.

Conclusion: The multidimensionality of child neglect requires effective actions from the protection network. The importance of seeking to make public policies and interprofessional actions effective in the context of confronting, mapping and preventing violence in intrafamily relationships is reiterated, especially by Primary Healthcare teams.

Keywords: Adolescent; Child; Child abuse; Child care; Child welfare; Domestic violence; Family; Qualitative research.