L’Unité Le Jardin, a center housing nine severely disabled children in Laval, is once again in crisis. Investigations are underway following recent allegations of abuse suffered by some of society’s most vulnerable young people, it has been learned The Press.
The Laval Police Department confirmed Thursday that an investigation had been opened concerning four cases of mistreatment at the Le Jardin Unit. The facts would have occurred from March to November 2023. The police force did not want to give more details to protect the ongoing investigation.
Deputy Director General of the CISSS de Laval, Majorik Bouchard claims to have recently received “new information containing worrying elements” about the Le Jardin Unit. Without being able to specify the content of this information, Mr. Bouchard affirms that it is serious enough for the implementation of new measures to be necessary.
Since Thursday, a manager has been on site 24 hours a day to ensure the quality of care in the establishment, which welcomes young people aged 7 to 15 with various serious disabilities and often an autism spectrum disorder.
The CISSS de Laval also wants to get rid of the independent workforce at Unité Le Jardin as quickly as possible. “We are aiming for optimal staff stability,” says Mr. Bouchard. Agency workers currently represent 80% to 90% of workers in the establishment.
In a letter sent to its employees on Thursday, the CISSS de Laval launched an appeal to everyone to find volunteers to cover all shifts at the Le Jardin Unit. They indicated that they were looking for managers, educators, intervention agents, beneficiary attendants and nurses.
Already alerts in May
This is the second time this year that disturbing information has emerged from the Le Jardin Unit. Last May, faced with “worrying situations”, the CISSS de Laval had already had to act. The residents had notably been moved to a renovated and better adapted unit. Clinical staff had been added.
Management of the Le Jardin Unit had also been removed from the Directorate of Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Physical Disability Programs (DI-TSA-DP) to be entrusted to the Directorate of the Youth Program (DPJe) from the CISSS de Laval. In November, the DI-TSA-DP Directorate, whose “governance was restructured”, however took over the governance of the Le Jardin Unit.
When it was pointed out to him that despite the measures taken since May, the situation continued to be problematic at Unité Le Jardin, Mr. Bouchard affirmed that “the measures taken were the right ones”. But “we have to admit that with the new information we have received, we must indeed add more,” he says. As of Monday, a new director, Stéphanie Lavoie, will take charge of the DI-TSA-DP Directorate, says Mr. Bouchard.
Possible closure
When it opened four years ago, Unité Le Jardin was intended to accommodate children on a temporary basis. Eventually, the objective of the CISSS de Laval is to close this resource “through attrition” and “find another living environment in the community” for the residents, notes Mr. Bouchard.
At the Laval Police Department, it is indicated that for the sake of transparency, it is the DPJ of Montreal which will take care of the youth protection aspect in this case, since the DPJ of Laval reports to the CISSS of Laval.
Another CISSS de Laval residence housing 42 people with severe disabilities or serious behavioral disorders, the Louise-Vachon residence, also made the headlines last year following allegations of mistreatment against users. The CISSS de Laval had conducted an internal investigation and suspended half a dozen employees. Three employees were also charged with assault and assault with a weapon, but were ultimately acquitted last June.