Dramas like that of the little girl from Granby will continue to happen in Quebec if a reform of the youth protection system is not accomplished as soon as possible, worries journalist Nancy Audet in a recently published book which denounces a “collective failure”.
“There are children who have died almost in total indifference here at home. We talk about it for a few days, but in the end, the system does not change. And those who suffer are the children who suffer, ”laments the one who was herself a child of the DPJ.
Nancy Audet denounces “the silence”, “the immunity and impunity” of the DPJ, but above all the inaction of the leaders.
“Stakeholders, educators, department heads, lawyers, judges, officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, intervention officers, social workers and politicians, I am speaking to you all. Can we put aside our pride and our ego to review our ways and treat these children more humanely? “, she launches in They are all called Courage. Cry from the heart for the children of the DPJ.
The flaws in the system
With as a starting point the death which will have marked the entire nation, in April 2019, of the little girl from Granby, whom she nicknamed Courage, the author paints a shocking portrait of the DPJ, but above all points out the many system flaws.
The themes are numerous: shortage of labor and foster families, low graduation rate, staggering number of young people who end up experiencing homelessness, the lamentable state of youth centers, isolation measures and restraints used, and reprisals for those who dare to denounce.
The author questions in particular how the 7-year-old child could have been left to her fate, which ultimately led to her violent death “which should never have happened”. Stakeholders are also worried that other similar tragedies will occur in the future, she writes.
Best accompaniment
But even more, Nancy Audet comes to demand better support for the children of the DPJ so that they are better equipped once they reach majority, since they will no longer have access to any service.
The journalist notably spoke with the biological mother of the little girl from Granby, who also went through the DPJ.
“A child of the system has his child taken away by this same system which has not been able to offer him the necessary tools”, she describes.
” [La DPJ] In spite of causing serious damage to children, their parents or foster families, she almost always gets away unscathed. In my eyes and in the eyes of many, this impunity is dangerous. It places the institution above the law,” argues Nancy Audet.
She therefore wanted to give a voice to these children, calling for “in-depth reform”.