DYP of Laval | Influx of young people into “outdated” facilities

The Laval Youth Protection Department (DPJ) must accommodate a growing number of young people aged 6 to 12 in its aging facilities. An overflow unit deemed inadequate in 2023 had to be reopened to accommodate them.

“I have been here since 2015. And we have never had such a high intensity of young people accommodated,” notes Anick Deslongchamps, director of youth programs at the CISSS de Laval.

In a letter obtained by The Pressthe CSN vice-president for the Laval Youth Center for employment categories 2 and 3, Michel Longpré, deplores the fact that children so young are accommodated in “institutional environments”. And that this situation, which was supposed to be temporary, is now permanent.

The CISSS de Laval has agreed to show its facilities to The Press. The Le Tournesol overflow unit, which accommodates children aged 6 to 12, has six very small, windowless rooms. Only a single bed, a small chest of drawers and a desk fit into these rooms measuring approximately 2 meters by 3 meters which the children decorate to their liking. Some rooms are well appointed. Like the reading room where toddlers have a book read to them – often for the first time in their lives – before going to bed. Or the Legoland piece that allows them to play blocks.

The Laval DPJ “organizes itself” with what it has, mentions its director, Jean-François Payette. He ensures that despite aging facilities, services are provided efficiently. “Yes, we would like a nicer shell. But the teams on the ground respond to the needs of the children,” assures Mr. Payette.

Before welcoming Le Tournesol, the Laval Youth Center unit was called Le Jardin and notably welcomed children with an autism spectrum disorder. However, the CISSS had hastily removed these children from the unit in the spring of 2023, considering that the premises were not appropriate.

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Why is this unit, considered inappropriate at the time, still used? Mr. Payette explains that certain rooms, including the living room, are “echo” and that this caused problems for children with an autism spectrum disorder, who are often sensitive to noise. “It suits the current clientele,” he assures.

National representative of the Alliance of professional and technical personnel in health and social services (APTS) in Laval, Natacha Pelchat affirms on the contrary that Le Tournesol is not an ideal place, in particular because the guard post does not offer not an overview of the unit and that there is no dishwasher. “It may seem trivial. But while an educator is doing the dishes, she is not doing rehabilitation with the children,” she says.

Children aged 6 to 12 who must be accommodated at the Laval Youth Center have great needs. Many have severe attachment disorders and have experienced many traumas, explains Mr. Payette. “These are children who sometimes ‘explode’,” he says. By placing them in a accommodation center, the DPJ wishes to reassure them in order to return them as quickly as possible to their family or to a host family. Normally, the L’Aquarelle unit at the Laval Youth Center welcomes these young children. But all nine rooms have been occupied for almost two years. So much so that the Le Tournesol unit had to be converted.

An expansion plan on the table

The CISSS de Laval submitted a clinical plan in 2021 to lead to the reconstruction of its youth center. “Our building is old and obsolete. But the project never comes to fruition,” laments M^me Pelchat.

In the office of the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, it is mentioned that a “vast project is currently being carried out by the national director of youth protection aimed in particular at assessing the physical state of the centers youth rehabilitation and also to guarantee the quality of services offered in these living environments.” Minister Carmant says “wait for the report to this effect”. More than one in five installations is in poor condition in the youth protection network in Quebec, revealed The Press in March.

Read “More than one in five installations is obsolete”

For Mr. Longpré, the dilapidated facilities in Laval add pressure on already overwhelmed workers. “The staff is out of breath! Exhaustion! Psychological distress,” he wrote. Due to “lack of a suitable environment”, intervention officers sometimes have to restrain young people, he says. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to hold a young girl in restraint?” Was she sexually abused? We don’t know! On the other hand, if we had padded rooms or an environment suitable for this type of situation, it would not be necessary,” he writes.

M^me Pelchat adds that educators “do everything they can, but the institution means that we always have to do more with less.” President of the Laval Workers’ Union, Nathalie Bourque believes “it is time for the government to invest in youth protection”, among other things to “take care of youth centers and buildings that are in great need.”

In addition to Le Tournesol, two other overflow units are open at the Laval Youth Center to accommodate children aged 12 to 17. Anick Deslongchamps explains that to support educators in their work, assistant instructors have been hired and that no interruption of service has been noted. “But people feel the overload because we have had to deal with three overflows for a year and more. The pressure is greater on everyone. More young people means more interventions,” she says.