Abstract

Chile has been considered an emblematic case of child and adolescent protection policies that in-corporate the New Public Management approach. These include privatised outsourcing with go-vernment funding and an emphasis on controls and accountability, with significant consequences for the child protection system. This research brings together the experiences of 16 professionals wor-king in this field through the analysis of semi-structured interviews. The results show that the mana-gement instruments installed by these policies occupy a central place in their work, requiring the completion of excessive administrative tasks and promoting a competitive vision that is typical of the private sector. This situation demotivates staff, affecting the meaning of the work they do and their care-oriented practices.