ABSTRACT
Family reunification after a period in foster care is a challenge for both the involved staff and the family. After law 12.010/2009, which determined a maximum length of two years, the staff began to focus on the provisional nature of the child advocacy and plan toward to family reunification. This study aimed to know the procedures and challenges of psychologists of the technical staff regarding the planning and follow-up of the reunification of children and adolescents in the family of origin. Three institutional psychologists from three cities in Brazil participated: Santa Maria/RS, Brasília/DF and Natal/RN. In-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out from a script. Data were analyzed qualitatively and categorized through Content Analysis. Among the results, it is highlighted that professionals follow procedures for the preparation of reunification, such as the establishment of visits, referral of the family to the protection and health network and periodic assessment of family conditions. The challenges included risk factors, economic difficulties, among others. Improvements are discussed to maximize the success of family reunification.
Keywords:
Institutionalization; family; psychosocial intervention