Youth protection workers deserve the highest salary increases in the public social services network, according to Minister Lionel Carmant. And he took care to tell his colleague at the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel.
“I told her clearly, and she knows it: what we did last time, the 7% bonus, it didn’t have its effect,” he candidly said in an interview with The dutyon the sidelines of the Day dedicated to the well-being and protection of youth, Friday, in Quebec.
“There really needs to be a more significant difference between those who work at the CLSC, in other programs, and those who work in youth protection. Because it is a difficult job, which requires understanding a law. Which is psychologically heavier, too,” adds the minister responsible for Social Services.
Lionel Carmant is therefore hoping for a new differentiated offer, addressed specifically to workers in the Youth Protection Directorate (DPJ). How much does he put it at? “I am pushing for the biggest possible difference” with the overall offer made to the public sector, the CAQ elected official simply says.
“It has to be part of the group that has more than the rest of the team,” he said. “ [Sonia LeBel] is very sensitive to this. »
In the morning, Mr. Carmant was warmly welcomed by a room full of DPJ employees after telling them: “Your work is much more complicated and demanding than what is done in the CLSC. Your remuneration must reflect this. »
Money and support
Better remuneration, yes, but support for employees too, underlines Steve Geoffrion. A former speaker at the DPJ, he is now an associate professor at the School of Psychoeducation at the University of Montreal.
Friday, he took advantage of a workshop given to stakeholders to send them a message. “I started my lecture by saying, ‘Sure it’s going to help you, but you’re still going to be exposed to kids getting beaten up. You are still going to be exposed to children who commit suicide,” he maintains in an interview with The duty. “Go ask the traumatologists at Sainte-Justine if they are well paid. »
The expert pleads for more psychological support and for services better adapted to DPJ employees.
Asked about the minister’s intentions, the president of the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS), Robert Comeau, for his part, invites the government to reveal its game. “When the offer arrives on the table, if it goes there, we will analyze it carefully in the best interest of our members,” he said in a written statement. “It is through effective means of attraction and retention, as well as by establishing better salary conditions, that we will be able to stem the staff shortage at the origin of the crisis currently shaking Quebec public services . »
Despite the imposing reform tabled in 2021 by Minister Carmant, the youth protection network faces significant workforce challenges throughout Quebec. “ [La pénurie] means that we are not able to manage the flow of young people returning. As soon as we reach 800, 900, 1000 reports retained, it is very difficult,” said Mr. Carmant on Friday.
Waiting lists down
At the start of the year, waiting lists for assessment reached a record number of some 5,100 names. At that time, the wait time for an evaluation was almost 50 days. But there is a glimmer of hope: last weekend, barely 3,100 people were waiting for an assessment, according to data obtained by The duty. The list has never been shorter since October 2021.
“We have made big changes,” says Lionel Carmant when asked about these statistics. “The biggest change is asking the front line [les services jeunesse généraux en CLSC] to contribute more. »
But be careful, says Jessica Côté-Guimond, general director of the Ex-placed DPJ collective. “Was it handled well?” Well rated? Did we close certain files too early? Did we really take the time to refer the family to the community? These are still questions that I ask myself,” she told Duty.
The encouraging numbers recorded last week will not last forever. Every fall, then every spring, the waiting lists grow longer, agrees Minister Carmant. “The two big peaks are June and December. Teachers and school staff, as they are afraid of not seeing the children for two weeks or two months, they tend to report them to ensure that someone is keeping an eye on them,” he analyzes . “It’s going to come back up. That’s for sure. »
The minister, who began “phase 2” of his DPJ reform last spring, remains confident. The creation of a commissioner for the well-being and rights of children, as called for by Régine Laurent in the final report of the Special Commission on the rights of children and youth protection, cannot be long in coming. The minister is only waiting for the green light from the parliamentary leader, Simon Jolin-Barrette.
“The bill is ready,” Mr. Carmant said Friday. “I can’t wait to drop it off. »