Secretariat for Social Assistance (SNAS) of the Ministry of Social Development and Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger – MDS (which during 2019-2022 was designated Ministry of Citizenship – MC), by means of an inter-federative SUAS management structure. Funding is co-participatory across the three levels of government: municipal, state and federal.

States and, above all, Municipalities, through CRAS. Multidisciplinary teams often involve social workers, psychologists, and other professionals of varying backgrounds and educational levels.

The experience of working with families began in 2001, with a pilot project, the Family Support Center Program - NAF. To expand and qualify this experience, in 2003, the Brazilian Plan for Comprehensive Family Care – PAIF was launched. In 2004, the Plan was improved and adapted to the guidelines of the Brazilian Social Assistance Policy - PNAS, establishing the "Comprehensive Family Care Program". With the establishment of PNAS, in 2004, PAIF began to be organized to respond to the guarantee of strengthening family and community coexistence, in the basic protection of SUAS. In 2009, with the approval of the Brazilian Typification of Social Assistance Services, it was renamed as the Protection and Integral Support Service to the Family – PAIF^1,2.

Currently in operation.

Biopsychosocial support through a service to guarantee rights and Strengthen Community and Family Bonds.

N/A

Families covered by income transfer programs and/or families that are within the eligibility criteria for income transfer programs but have not yet been covered, and/or families in a situation of social vulnerability in the process of rebuilding bonds or at risk of breaking them.

The service can be accessed by spontaneous demand (in which people declare themselves in a situation of eligibility and seek support from CRAS), or through active search/sample screening carried out by the social assistance teams. It can also occur from referral by other public policies or social assistance programs (including in the case of families that do not comply with conditionalities of PBF).

The validation of eligibility for the service is based on the analysis of the social assistance teams, which is carried out in line with general guiding principles of the service. 

There is a systemic effort to register potential and existing beneficiaries of PAIF in the Single Registry (although Single Registry entry is not an obligatory requirement to access the service). As the Single Registry is only intended for the population with a Total Family Income of up to three minimum wages (which in 2024 was equivalent to R$ 4,236.00, with the minimum wage currently being R$ 1,412.00), this ends up being, in practice, an income cut that also affects the targeting of PAIF. 

The Single Registry helps social assistance teams to identify a priority coverage group, whose characteristics give them eligibility to PBF and BPC. However, eligibility for PAIF is not restricted to people eligible for PBF and BPC, and social assistance teams are free to include other beneficiaries as appropriate. 

Rather than a measure to access PAIF, the registration of potential beneficiaries in the Single Registry is done to enable  referral to other policies to which they are eligible. 

The information declared to the Single Registry is self-declaratory. The Single Registry makes annual cross-checks with other administrative records to validate the information provided. Cases of inconsistency pointed out by these checks, however, do not lead to interruptions in access to nationally typified SUAS services (although they may lead to such impediments for other programs that use the Single Registry and whose eligibility is defined by more parametric criteria of income and family composition, such as PBF and BPC). In this context, the link with PAIF generates an opportunity to update the registration of beneficiaries whose declared information may be questioned by cross-checks with other databases. 

• According to the CRAS Monthly Service Record System (RMA, acronym in Portuguese), between January and August 2022, PAIF benefited, on average, 1,107,534 people per month, of which, on average, 23,056 are in extreme poverty, 32,399 were beneficiaries of the PBF, 1,885 were beneficiaries of PBF in breach of conditionalities, another 6,433 had people benefited by BPC, with 273 families with children in child labor, and another 708 families with children and adolescents in foster care services. 

• Of the total families covered by PAIF, on average 225,486 participated in collective activities offered on a regular basis.

• As a reference, it is worth noting that the Bolsa Família Program has a coverage of approximately 20 million families (or 53 million people benefited)^4,5,6.

There is no exhaustive list of all the activities that can be performed as part of PAIF, and there is enough freedom for each CRAS to act according to their specific capacities and the peculiarity of the situations of vulnerability found in each territory. However, some of the most recurring activities are:

• Supportive reception and active listening (initial visit to document the challenges faced by each beneficiary and provide an overview of the support available through the PAIF program);

• Assistance and referrals to benefits, services and programs, as well as guidance on rights;

• Activities related to family and community life;

• Home visits for family monitoring purposes.

In-person services implemented in CRAS or in other community spaces, or through home visits.

SUAS funding is shared by the three levels of government (Federal Government, states and municipalities). Resources are allocated in blocks and minimums, which have some flexibility to finance the various SUAS initiatives (see Policy Brief on SUAS financing). Although we did not find information on the total budget coming from each level of government, the table below illustrates the budget executions of the Federal Government for discretionary actions of the Secretariat of Social Assistance/Social Assistance Fund (SNAS/FNAS, acronyms in Portuguese) between 2002 and 2022 (in actual amounts corrected to December 31, 2022). These values encompass the entire universe of services, programs, costing management activities and investment of SUAS, thus they do not refer only to the costs of the PAIF.

Federal budget executions with discretionary actions of SNAS/FNAS between 2002 and 2022 (in real values adjusted for December, 2022)*

Although we did not find consolidated values on the resources specifically aimed at PAIF financing, the assumption is that the Fixed Basic Minimum Funding Variable  (which is part of the Basic Social Protection Block) is the most directed to financing the PAIF. In 2022, the Federal Government transferred a total of R$ 291,289,791.94 to this Minimum** (an amount corresponding to 21% of the total expenses of the Federal Government specifically directed to the 12 social assistance services nationally typified by SUAS that year).

* Data from 2002 to 2020 extracted from (GoB, Min. Citizenship 2021d), and 2021 and 2022 data extracted from (GoB, CGU 2022). Monetary correction of amounts made using the Citizen Calculator of the Central Bank of Brazil (GoB, Central Bank, n.d.)

** Minimum values extracted from (GoB, Min. Social Development 2023a) and associated with specific services according to the authors' interpretation from (GoB, Min. Social Development 2013; Public Prosecutor's Office of Bahia, n.d.)

A quasi-experimental academic study points out that the implementation of SUAS generated expansion and improvement in the provision of services, as well as improvement of administrative capacity at the municipal level, even when controlling specific political factors⁷. 

A nationwide mixed study commissioned by the MDS found that, despite criticism of salary levels, CRAS social assistance teams experience low turnover. The study also identified a positive perception among beneficiaries, with 81.4% highlighting queues of less than 15 minutes, and 70.9% classifying employees as attentive, dedicated and qualified⁸.

Cross-sectoral referencing and guidance allow easier access to other services, such as health and education. 

Family monitoring provides information on enrollment and school attendance of children and adolescents, allowing possible causes of evasion to be recognized and worked on with the family. 

In the case of people benefiting from PBF, PAIF has specific guidance to support families who may be in breach of conditionalities to normalize their situations.

Activities with the purpose of guaranteeing rights and strengthening bonds also allow any type of violence or negligence to be prevented and recognized, giving rise to subsequent referral to Specialized Social Protection services.

According to the Census CRAS of 2023, gender themes, such as domestic violence and women's rights, appear as, respectively, the second and fourth most recurring theme of PAIF collective activities. The participation of women and girls in PAIF collective activities corresponds to 71% of the total participants in these activities.

Guidelines and referrals to other networks such as education, health and Specialized Social Protection.

The specific adaptations of PAIF varied greatly in each context, given the flexibility of state and municipal teams to adapt according to the specific needs of each context. However, there was a set of structured actions with an effect on SUAS in general, such as the following:

• Although SUAS was not directly involved in the Emergency Aid benefit, several municipal teams developed voluntary joint efforts to support families to apply for the benefit. 

• The Federal Government maintained the IGD-Aid payments even with the temporary suspension of SUAS responsibilities in support of the program (and the PBF program itself) in 2020 and much of 2021.

• The Federal Government generated instructional material with service protocols considering the challenge of avoiding agglomeration.

• Through Ordinance MC No. 369, of April 29, 2020, the Federal Government distributed R$ 2.4 billion to SUAS as extraordinary credit distributed as follows among the municipalities with the highest prevalence of elderly, PwD, migrants and homeless people:

  • R$ 9.1 million was transferred to the interiorization of Venezuelan migrants and refugees;

  • R$ 158.1 million were allocated to the purchase of PPE for SUAS professionals working on the front line, serving, for example, sheltered elderly, homeless people and victims of rights violations;

  • R$ 185.6 million were transferred to the purchase of food for the elderly and people with disabilities served in the SUAS network;

  • R$ 577.7 million for the co-financing of social assistance actions, according to the needs of each location considering the pandemic.

• Through Ordinances MC No. 378, of May 7, 2020, and MC No. 468, of August 13, 2020, R$ 1.5 billion were transferred to: (a) the reorganization of activities in SUAS units; (b) the purchase of other items necessary to deal with the emergency; or (c) the expansion of social assistance offers during the pandemic. Of these:

  • R$1 billion was specifically intended to reinforce basic social protection activities;

  • R$ 437.2 million were specifically intended to reinforce Specialized Social Protection activities.

In addition to the transfer of funds, several technical guidelines were released by the MDS.

1. GoB, Min. Desenvolvimento Social. 2012. Orientações técnicas sobre o PAIF. Volume 1. https://www.mds.gov.br/webarquivos/publicacao/assistencia_social/Cadernos/Orientacoes_PAIF_1.pdf.

2. GoB, Min. Desenvolvimento Social. 2014. Tipificação Nacional de Serviços Socioassistenciais”. https://central.to.gov.br/download/231761.

3. GoB, Min. Cidadania. 2022. Censo SUAS e RMA – Bases e Resultados > Censo SUAS 2021 - CREAS. https://aplicacoes.mds.gov.br/snas/vigilancia/index2.php.

4. GoB, Min. Cidadania. 2022. Censo SUAS e RMA – Bases e Resultados > Censo SUAS 2021 - CREAS. https://aplicacoes.mds.gov.br/snas/vigilancia/index2.php.

5. GoB, Min. Desenvolvimento Social. 2022. Cisternas familiares de água para consumo (1a água) entregues pelo Ministério da Cidadania (Acumulado). https://aplicacoes.cidadania.gov.br/vis/data3/v.php?q[]=r6JtZI%2B0g7BtxKW25rV%2FfmdhhJFkl21kmK19Zm51ZXCmaX7KrV%2BOmGilo5TJ7rJvsLqqn7R0wcCskpKcpt%2Bqr6DkwKihuqOb7Fmzr6SWw8qU3KKmfd%2ByVP%2FpnK%2FaWb2vqY53xKLYsKjK6m1cbQrfWjzatMOYVnfGod6vmMTwsqdcuJqm6Fmat6WWytX2E6%2BczJuxlVyLnp7ana68oI53iXTNsqDS566Yq3GxqrQ%3D.

6. GoB, Min. Desenvolvimento Social. 2022. Agricultores familiares fornecedores do Programa Alimenta Brasil por modalidade”. 6 de outubro de 2022. https://aplicacoes.cidadania.gov.br/vis/data3/v.php?q[]=oNOhlMHqwJOsuqSe9W2Dymipx92g5m9jjqx6ZW51ZWu0a32AaVqIkmCabq%2FTsYVtd66WpuyeiLSYmcrGbqWjlMnusm93u6qnnK%2BDh2dovcKf3aJuw9y5p6GDcKDapcCzcmjK1qCNs2mWrIianbSon7SfrrqqkpKcmcuppsK2iKextViwr3J%2FiZ2Ow9SYpaOUye6yb3eulqbsnoiJqqLEhKmgdmaY4a6gr61woNqlwLNyaL3Cn92ibpjuwqG4iZys4pzCuqucycamiqOUyuS5nZ26mq2ZZm2RpprH05SKoKLKm5GjnQvc%2FRyobaGgmszNpy3focLccHWjup6d7qXBvamSyoGZy6qcyeSupqG7VWeZgruxnJvLyqnZXfb9m52mq6yq%2FSD88L1XknfCooqAosvuwqGraJmfmYWyt6uSeqKa3KaW0ufBo66tqFrfmrq3o5a405jdXWB9vryhrLqWWr2iv7OrjnqimtymltLnwaOuraha35q6t6OWuNOY3V1gfby9o6W3Vf0ZWZO9qZq4JNot4KJ937JUgbupqequssFabr7TnM2yn9Hqv5mvaJub5qK5t5ifvNRTl110zvC2p6UL3P0cqG2ynE2qxqDPq6fC7smkdw%3D%3D.

7. Cavalcante, Pedro, e Beatriz Bernarde Ribeiro. 2012. O Sistema Único de Assistência Social: resultados da implementação da política nos municípios brasileiros. Rev. Adm. Pública 46 (dezembro). https://www.scielo.br/j/rap/a/bwPZgHkvMbPcWCcYcgKHtPb/?lang=pt#.

8. GoB, Min. Desenvolvimento Social. 2009. Sumário Executivo. Estudos quali-quantitativos sobre o Programa de Atenção Integral à Família. https://fpabramo.org.br/acervosocial/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2017/08/046.pdf.