The Street-level Bureaucracy in the Implementation of the Service of Protection and Integral Care for the Family (PAIF): Perceptions and Translations of Norms in Public Policies

Research objective: The article analyzes the implementation of the Service of Protection and Comprehensive Care to the Family (PAIF), within the scope of social assistance policy, from the perceptions of street-level bureaucrats of two Reference Centers for Social Assistance (CRAS) of the same territory in Belo Horizonte. Theoretical framework: The research was conducted by reviewing concepts present in the literature on public policy implementation and street-level bureaucracy. Methodology: This is qualitative research, with documentary research and semi-structured interviews, analyzed using the content analysis method. Results: The research showed that there is consensus about the goals of the PAIF and disagreement about the means employed to operationalize them. The analyses realized showed that regulations are not enough to guide the delivery of a policy with low programmability. In this way, the street-level bureaucrat becomes, itself, the main intervention technology of Social Assistance. Moreover, evidence was provided that the relational dimension affects the performance of technicians and service users, characterizing the high interaction between them in the operationalization of the service. Originality: The study aimed to address in an integrated manner theoretical perspectives for understanding the role of street-level bureaucracy in the provision of a social welfare service. Theoretical and practical contributions: Understanding the particularities of the case analyzed can contribute to comprehend the bureaucracy that has a direct interface with the population, helping to improve the social welfare policy.