In 2006, for the first time, the IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) conducted a research about Brazilian private social assistance entities.  Requested and with resources of the Ministry of Social Development and Combat to Hunger (MDS), the research of  Non-Profitable Private Social Assistance Entities in Brazil (Peas 2006) was developed based on data from the Central Registry of Enterprises (Cempre) of IBGE, where entities related to the group Social Assistance were identified.  From this universe, 16,089 entities which rendered services covered by the public policy under the responsibility of the MDS were interviewed.  The results provided to the administrators of public policies, information about the offer of these services in Brazil, helping in the implementation of the Single System of Social Assistance (Suas) and providing a better orientation for investments in this area, which occupied mainly volunteers, directed its service mainly to youth and obtained financing mainly in the private sector.  Following, the main information about Peas 2006 is exposed.

The Southeast Region concentrated 51.8% of the 16,089 social assistance entities (EAS) surveyed, followed by the South (22.6%), Northeast (14.8%), Central West (7.4%) and North (3.4%).  The great concentration in the Southeast occurred mainly due to the participation of the state of São Paulo, which concentrated 29.6% of all the entities of Brazil.  São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Paraná summed more than half (55.6%) of all the social assistance entities of the country in 2005.

The great majority of the EAS were in the municipal sphere (11,197 entities or 69.9%).  Following, were 2,482 entities (15.4%) with national coverage, 1,260 (7.8%) in regional level and 1,114 (6.9%), in state level.

Among the surveyed EAS, 72% were registered in the Municipal Council of Social Assistance, which means, they followed what settled the Social Assistance Organic Law (Loas), which affirms, in its article number 9, that “the functioning of entities and organizations of social assistance depends on previous registration in the respective Municipal Council of Social Assistance, or in the Council of Social Assistance of the Federal District, depending on the case” ¹ . In other words, 28% of the surveyed entities were in an unsuitable situation regarding to what the law established.

One of the tasks of the Municipal Councils of Social Assistance was to supervise the functioning of entities, which does not occur in the same periodicity.  The major proportion of the supervisions occurred more than once a year (50.3%), especially Paraná (62%).  On the other hand, it was elevated the proportion of entities which did not have any type of supervision (35.8%), standing out Paraíba (62%).

The registration in the National Council of Social Assistance was a necessary condition for an entity to be classified as a Civil Society Organization of Public Affairs (Oscip) and/or Social Organization (OS). Among the 6,932 entities registered in the national council, 2,629 (38%) were classified as Oscip; and 4065 (58.7%), as OS.

32.6% of entities had in public resources the main source of financing ²

The major part of social assistance entities (59.5%) was financed mainly by private resources (which included own and private resources, besides voluntary contribution). Other 32.6% had as main source of financing public resources; 2.1% received mainly resources from other countries; and 5.1% were financed by other type of resources.

Considering all sources of financing - not only the main one - 8,964 among the 16,089 social assistance entities (55.7%) received some kind of public resource from the municipal, state and federal sphere.  The municipal financing was the one that most stood out, reaching 84.9% of the entities which received public resources.  Following, came the state and federal financing, which reached, respectively, 39.5% and 40.5% of the entities.

 Regarding the organizations with which the entities had partnerships for the complementation of their services, the organizations of the Executive power (40.9%) prevailed.  They were followed by private companies (33.8%).  On the other hand, 4,620 entities (28.7%) did not have any type of partnership.

More than half of the institutions directed their service to youth

Approximately 51.7% of the social assistance entities worked with a public in the age groups from 15 to 24 years old³ , showing a priority of young people.  In accordance to the norms of Loas, entities must work with all age groups. 

The majority of the states followed this trend.  However, in Rio de Janeiro stood out the entities which worked with age groups from 0 to 6 years old (51.6%) and 60 years old or more (47%).  In Rio Grande do Sul, 51% of the entities worked with a public from 7 to 14 years old.  In Rondônia (66%) and in Pará (62%), the work with the age group from 25 to 29 years old was a priority; while in Tocantins, 75% of the entities worked with the age group from 7 to 14 years old.  Finally, in Mato Grosso (65.6%) and Goiás (57.5%), stood out the work with the age group from 25 to 59 years old; while in the Federal District, there was a major participation (52%) among children from 0 to 6 years old, followed by the age group between 15 and 24 years old (48.9%).

Entities which work with ethnic minorities and ex- prisoners summed only 1% of the total

Among the characteristics of the target public of the entities⁴ , it could be observed a major proportion (9,413 or 59% of the total) working with people in a vulnerable situation or in a situation of social risk.  Following came those which worked with disabled persons (4,896 entities or 30%) and those which worked with population in street situation (2,587 entities or 16%).  On the other extreme, the entities which worked with ethnic minorities and with persons who had left the penal system were in a lower proportion in the country (430 institutions or 1% of the total), as we can see in the following graph.

Among the entities surveyed, the greatest number (2.078) defined themselves as “disabled person service center”.  Following were those which defined themselves as “family service center” (1,804) and, then, those which defined themselves as “children and teenager service center” (1,630).  On the other extreme, only 39 EAS declared themselves to be “teenager in conflict with law service center”, as we can see in the following graph.

The main services⁵  performed by the surveyed entities were those willing the socialization, care with family and socio-educational development of served persons.  Stood out also the references to leisure, cultural and playing activities services (5,947 entities), socio-familiar services (5,933 entities) and socio-educational services (5,859 entities).  The entities which render “services of approach in the street” were the ones which appeared in lowest number (282 entities).

Among the 16,089 EAS identified, 12,307 (76.5%) did not have lodging, which means, service installations offering stay overnight or dwelling for user.

More than half of occupied persons in social assistance developed voluntary work

Among the 519,152 persons who worked in social assistance entities, 277,301 (53.4%) were volunteers.  Among these, 126,431 (45.5%) had secondary instruction, while 76,409 (27.5%) had only elementary instruction and a very similar number (74,461 or 26.8%) had higher instruction.   Among the non-volunteers (241,851 persons), 166,711 had a formal contract with the entity, 22,942 were service renders, 37,702, were ceded by other companies and 14,496 were remunerated or non- remunerated trainees.

Approximately 30% of the EAS (4,786) did not have any employed person (which included those who only had volunteers), while 18.9% (3,036) occupied 20 or more persons.  Among the Federation Units, São Paulo had the major proportion of volunteers by EAS (19.9), followed closely by Ceará (19.4).  Rio de Janeiro was in third place, with an average number of 18.7 volunteers by social assistance entity.

Regarding the formation of non-volunteer professionals with higher education who worked in the entities, the most representative were pedagogs (19,909), doctors (6,745), social assistants (5,707) and psychologists (5,428).  On the other end, were journalists (267) and sociologists (320).

 Notes

 1 - The same article declared that the basic condition for a social assistance entity in any area to obtain registration in the National Council of Social Assistance was its registration in the Municipal Council of Social Assistance.

2 - One same entity may obtain a simultaneous financing from different private sources and governmental spheres.

3 - It was examined the age profile of the population served by the entities analyzed and multiple choice was admitted.  It is important to observe that the service given to the population of a determined age group may include other age groups.

4 - More than one answer was admitted.

5 - It is important to observe that services could superpose in a same entity.