Not only has the number of reports to the Youth Protection Department (DPJ) reached new heights in Montreal in the last year, but nearly one in five has the reason for exposure to domestic violence. And during this time, more than a third of speaker positions are vacant.
WHAT THERE IS TO KNOW
- The number of reports to the DPJ in Montreal increased this year, going from 19,727 to 21,084 reports. In Quebec, there were 134,871 reports in total, a slight decrease compared to last year. Just over 42,000 files were processed.
- Reports whose reason is exposure to domestic violence have more than doubled in 10 years: they concern nearly one in five reports in Montreal this year.
- There are 36 workers out of 101 missing from the DPJ in Montreal, six more than last year: a shortage observed throughout the province, according to the APTS.
Record in Montreal
A total of 21,084 reports to the DPJ were recorded in Montreal in 2023-2024, revealed the 21e annual report of the DPJ, presented Tuesday.
Last year, that total was 19,727.
This increase could be explained by “the crumbling of the social fabric around families,” explained the director of youth protection at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Ms.me Assunta Gallo, at a press conference.
In Quebec, the news is better. 134,871 reports were received in the last 12 months, a slight decrease compared to last year. But this year’s total still represents an increase of 57% over 10 years.
For the office of the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, this is still a step forward, says his press secretary, Lambert Drainville. This is the first time the total number of reports in the province has decreased in almost 20 years.
This is the second consecutive year where we have seen a drop in the reports that are retained, would like to emphasize the national director of youth protection, Catherine Lemay. This year, just over 42,000 reports were retained.
“That means that we are able to better filter situations before they enter the entire youth protection process,” she explains.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Annual review of Montreal youth protection directors Assunta Gallo (CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal) and Linda See (CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal) )
Domestic violence
Another finding: the number of reports whose reason is exposure to domestic violence has more than doubled in 10 years in Quebec. There will be more than 17,000 in 2023-2024.
“And I think it will be even worse next year,” believes Mathilde Trou, co-responsible for political issues at the Group of Homes for Women Victims of Domestic Violence, present at the announcement.
Since April 2023, exposure to domestic violence constitutes a reason for compromise in its own right to make a report to the DPJ. Prior to this change, exposure to domestic violence was a subcategory of psychological maltreatment.
This modification to the law allowed a more in-depth analysis of the problem and the establishment of a specific approach to the needs in terms of domestic violence, specified M.me Gallo.
In Montreal, the ratio is alarming: there are 3,813 reports involving exposure to domestic violence, or 18% of cases. This is 440 more cases than last year.
These data pushed the DPJ to make domestic violence the theme of its report this year.
The objective? “Bring domestic violence out of the privacy of private places, raise awareness among the population, break the silence, because it still remains a taboo subject,” said Ms.me Gallo.
Surprising data: we also observed a 22% increase in reports made by the police compared to last year.
According to Mme Hole, it would be possible that this increase is linked to better knowledge of the signals which indicate the presence of domestic violence during a police intervention.
Staff shortage
Data from the 21ste The DPJ’s report revealed that the problems linked to the labor shortage in the social services sector have worsened in Montreal.
Out of 101 worker positions for assessing the situation of children at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud, which oversees the DPJ in Montreal, 30 were vacant last June. This year, six more positions are to be filled, or a little more than a third.
“It’s still important, the labor shortage that we’re currently experiencing,” conceded M.me Gallo. Despite the efforts that are made, I know that the stakeholders share the pressure they are experiencing. »
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Assunta Gallo
The same phenomenon is observed across the province, notes Sébastien Pitre, national manager of the youth protection file and treasurer of the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS). The proportion of vacant positions, in extreme cases, can even rise to 75%.
In Sept-Îles, for example, three workers do the work of 14 people, he notes. And one of them will leave for another sector soon.
“ [La question], it is not whether a person will fall off work or not, but when. And the task and the overload of work mean that it is not attractive for someone finishing school,” he adds.
The DPJ also intends to implement various recruitment methods, particularly among students and staff from other services of the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud. Their presence would make it possible to accomplish tasks external to the evaluation of cases at the DPJ.
Salary, mixed clientele, increase in mental health problems, gaps in training: “Put yourself in the place of a young person finishing high school 5. When they look at how health and social services Come on, is that attractive? Not really. », concludes Mr. Pitre.