Avaliando a política de acolhimento institucional no município de Fortaleza: um olhar social e educacional sobre a experiência e influência das casas de acolhimento na vida das crianças e adolescentes

Abstract

This study conducts an analysis of the functioning of Institutional Care Homes in Fortaleza, with emphasis on the relationship between the conditions of these homes, the work of the professionals who operate within them, and the school performance of children and adolescents in care. The care home is a residential unit designed to provide protection, care, and adequate living conditions for children and adolescents who have been removed from their families due to situations of vulnerability, promoting their integral development and the guarantee of their rights. The historical development of care policies is highlighted, through their transformations over time, culminating in the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA), which establishes the legal guidelines for integral protection, rights, and adequate conditions for the care of children and adolescents in vulnerable situations. This research combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide a broad understanding of the challenges faced by young people in this context. The quantitative analysis, based on academic performance data, seeks to show that students coming from care institutions tend to perform below the average of their peers at school, in addition to analyzing school attendance records. On the qualitative side, the use of participant observation and interviews with professionals working in care homes aims to provide a deeper understanding of how these institutions function and how their activities are developed. Furthermore, interviews with schoolteachers of these students are conducted to better understand the educational challenges faced when working with this particular group. In this way, the study highlights the need for a more integrated and humanized approach in the care of children and adolescents in institutional settings, proposing improvements in infrastructure and in the support of solidarity networks between the state and schools. Strengthening public policies that prioritize the integral development of these young people is essential to transform care into a genuine opportunity for social inclusion, quality education, and the promotion ofrights.