Medidas de protección a niños, niñas y adolescentes en situación de crisis sanitaria —COVID-19—. De la teoría a la práctica

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to provide a contingent, critical and practical look at the protection procedure for children and adolescents in Chile, with a special focus on the global health emergency situation that has led to the adoption of a series of state measures to the alleged protection of the life and health of people, among which are restrictions on freedom of movement and the suspension of all types of face-to-face activity. In this way, both the family courts, as well as the institutions that are part of the existing programmatic offer for addressing the different areas of attention to children and adolescents, have had to modify their operation and gradually adjust their actions according to the evolution of the pandemic. For the preparation of this article, a qualitative research with a documentary- hermeneutical approach was carried out. As a result, we note that although the public system for the protection of children and adolescents has tried to adapt its procedures, intervention methodologies, procedures, follow-ups and supervision to the new conditions imposed by the health alarm situation, we do not foresee, instead, a uniform, homogeneous and clearly coordinated performance. The foregoing leads us to conclude that beyond the rules, instructions and intervention protocols that have been taken to respond to the aforementioned pandemic situation, childhood and adolescence, especially those in a vulnerable situation, have not been made visible, attended and taken into consideration in the most appropriate way.