O nível de rua na pandemia: a percepção de profissionais da linha de frente da assistência social sobre a implementação de políticas

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the strategic role of social care policy to minimize the effects of this health crisis and its consequences on the poorest and most vulnerable population. This article analyzes the perception of street-level bureaucrats in the Brazilian social care network on how the pandemic has affected their performance and professional routine. The research was based on a survey, consultations with representatives of municipal social care services, and analysis of government regulations. The results show that social workers feel unprotected and unable to provide adequate responses to the pandemic’s increasing and urgent demands, revealing a lack of institutional support to act appropriately. The professionals also reported substantial changes in their working dynamics, particularly in their relationship with the attended population, one of the main pillars of the Brazilian social care network. These elements directly affect the provision of social care services and their potential to combat the adverse effects of the crisis.

The The street-level bureaucracy research agenda in the pandemic context: An integrative review

“…These professionals have faced increased stress and workload and a heightened fear of being exposed to the risk of infection. As a result, they have had to navigate complex decision-making processes while dealing with the challenges posed by COVID-19 (Lima-Silva et al, 2020;Matarazzo, Fernandes, & Alcadipani, 2020;Moura, Furtado, & Sobral, 2020;Vidal, 2020).…”

“…Professionals working on the front line of public service delivery -the street-level bureaucrats -are the core of policy implementation. As they operate with discretion when in contact with citizens, they modify the policy locally and, therefore, can be considered policymakers (Ferreira & Medeiros, 2016;Lima-Silva, Sandim, Magri, & Lotta, 2020). In the literature that addresses these public agents, other expressions synonymous with street-level bureaucrats are found: implementation agents (Cavalcanti et al, 2018), frontline bureaucrats (Ferreira & Medeiros, 2016), or implementers (Lima & D'Ascenzi, 2017).…”

“…The pandemic affected not only the SLBs' autonomy but also their behavior (Christensen & Laegreid, 2020; Lima-Silva et al, 2020;Oliveira, Barabashev, Tapscott, Thompson, & Qian, 2021;Gofen, Lotta, & Marchesini da Costa, 2021). They developed new coping strategies (Lotta et al, 2018) and assumed different roles as resource rationing became the primary determinant in service provision (Meza et al, 2021).…”

“…The study examined the software's contribution to data analysis, highlighting both its advantages and limitations. This research sought to enhance the analysis of street-level bureaucracies in crisis contexts, contributing to the existing literature in this field (Henderson, 2014;Lima-Silva et al, 2020).…”

O comportamento discricionário dos burocratas de nível de rua do Cadastro Único para Programas Sociais no estado do Amazonas

“…Pode-se constatar, por meio das falas supracitadas e da observação direta, em consonância com o que diz Lima-Silva (2020, p. 1468 A unidade 007, dentre as unidades pesquisadas, é a unidade onde tem a maior demanda de usuário e simultaneamente a que tem menos BNRs. Tanto a grande demanda, quanto a falta de servidores e a saúde dos burocratas influenciam as interações e as práticas institucionais.…”