The present study aims to analyze the prevention of neglect of children and adolescents from the insertion of families in the Reference Center for Social Assistance (CRAS) as an executor of basic social protection in accordance with the National Social Assistance Policy. It thus suggests a discussion on basic social protection and prevention, both within the family and State responsibility, as a way of minimizing the commonly designated occurrences of neglect. In order to make it possible to analyze the situations experienced by the families, a qualitative study was carried out using the document analysis technique for mothers who were in breach of conditionalities, and their benefits from the Bolsa Família Program were suspended because of a supposed negligence health and education of their children and were accompanied by a CRAS from the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro. Statistics relevant to the topic were also used to project the discussion at the national level. The conclusions point to the need to understand all the expressions of the social question that permeate the situations of supposed family neglect. In addition, they signal the State s responsibility through intersectoral actions involving policies other than social assistance aimed at caring for parents to guarantee the effective rights of children and adolescents.