A little less than one in ten young people in Quebec has been the subject of a report, according to the annual report of the Directorate of Youth Protection (DPJ) made public on Tuesday.
Province-wide, 135,839 reports were made for the 2022-2023 year. Overall, the DYPs recorded a 2.5% increase in reports processed. Of this number, however, only 42,773 were retained and this is a decrease of 2% compared to last year.
“In recent years, guided by the Laurent report […], we work closely with schools and daycare centres. There was also a significant subsidy for social pediatrics, underlines Catherine Lemay, national director of youth protection and deputy minister associated with the general direction of social services of the Ministry of Health and Social Services. We have added filters to the front door of reports to ensure that we intervene with children before problems escalate”.
Announcements are also to come to “come and reinforce this intervention at the front door”.
In Montreal, however, the 13% increase in reports is the largest in the province. A situation that concerns the direction of youth protection at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montréal, and which could be explained by family distress and an increase in domestic and intra-family violence.
In general, the DYPs are currently struggling with a staff shortage and lack of workers to assess reports, which has an impact on waiting lists. In this particularly problematic sector of orientation-evaluation, 320 full-time positions are not filled in the province.
Quebec has also announced an incentive measure in this context, by temporarily paying a sum of $900 to compensate for membership in a professional order for these workers.
Delinquency
This year, the theme chosen by the DYPs as part of their 20e annual toll was delinquency.
8,554 young offenders received services aimed primarily at social reintegration, under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA). This is an increase of 14.5% over last year.
“In Montreal, 1,222 teenagers receive support so that their future does not crystallize in delinquency. Their recovery is often a complex road with many detours and obstacles,” said Assunta Gallo, director of youth protection at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montréal.
This situation brings an additional burden, underlines Jean-François Payette, director of youth protection for Laval. “We manage to manage it quite well at the level of the LSJPA teams,” he adds. New programs have been introduced this year. Additional resources have been added to meet demand. »
With The Canadian Press