Risk and vulnerability as criteria to evaluate social and public policies: A critical analysis

A critical overview of the historical journey and the process of institutionalization of social assistance as a public policy are presented. The discourse about the social risk involved in it and in the national policy for children and adolescents is also addressed for the analysis of the normalizing possibilities of Psychology and Social Care. In order for Social Assistance, including psychologists, to find effective solutions for social problems, it has to be - from the very beginning -, based entirely on the ethical statement, which should manage its effects on citizens as subjects of rights.

Keywords:
Social assistance; Institutional evaluation; Public policies; Psychology, Social