The work of the social worker with people in the street assisted in the IJF Emergency

Abstract

This article presents a reflection on the work of the social worker in health with homeless people cared for in the emergency room of the Instituto Doutor José Frota, an urgent and emergency hospital that is a reference in high-complexity care focused on trauma, composing the health care network of the city of Fortaleza, integrated to the Unified Health System. The work was developed from the experience of the researcher as a resident social worker in the emergency of the aforementioned institute, through the Multiprofessional Residency Program of the School of Health Public of Ceará. The investigative path was carried out in the light of bibliographic studies, documentary research and field research through interviews with social workers who work in the emergency department of Instituto Doutor José Frota. The research showed that the social worker in the hospital context is faced with daily challenges in caring for homeless people, such as difficulty in articulating public policies, fragility in intersectoriality, lack of understanding of the multidisciplinary team about the attributions and skills of the social worker, among other adversities. However, professionals are able to identify possibilities of intervention that contribute to the realization of the social rights of homeless people.