The study is part of a broader research on the approach to cases of maltreatment committed against children and teenagers. The objective to analyze the perception of the professionals of the public system in relation to the approach conducted in the above-mentioned cases. The methodological is based on a case study under a social research of qualitative approach by means of the half-structured interview technique. The field of research is the Instituto Fernandes Figueira at Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. The treatment of the data is based on the principles of the content analysis. Among the results, we set special attention to the fact that maltreatment sometimes is visible for identification by the professionals and sometimes it becomes invisible in its attendance. Alongside this, we have verified the perception of the professionals oscillating between belief and incredulity in what concerns the solving of the cases. In terms of conclusion, it stands out that, in relation to the complexity of the violence committed against children and teenagers, questions like professional capacity, the planning of integrated actions and the participation of professionals in public actions, must be taken into consideration, looking for a better approach of maltreatment cases.
Approach; Health-care professionals; Maltreatment; Children; Teenagers