Faced with the inequalities suffered by young people placed and ex-placed by the DPJ, the Partners for the well-being of young people placed and ex-placed by the DPJ have decided to defend their interests and make them heard.
The recent publication of an evaluation framework which will make it possible to measure the state of progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the Special Commission on the Rights of Children and the Protection of Youth (CSDEPJ) is to be applauded, d as much as it is the fruit of a voluntary grouping. This list of actions to be taken gives us the opportunity to review what the government has done so far, but also to see all that remains to be done to improve the living conditions and development of young people in care. and ex-placed.
Thus, we must welcome certain legislative changes that came into effect on April 26. We should welcome the obligation to develop, with the young person, a plan for transition to autonomy, or even the obligation of the DYP to inform young people of their right to remain in a foster family after the age of 18. We must also highlight the expansion of the Youth Qualification Program (PQJ) and the deployment of Aires Ouvertes in Quebec.
Despite these advances, we remain concerned about the practical application of the amendments to the Youth Protection Act. To our knowledge, the participation of community organizations dedicated to young people in transition has not been solicited to properly plan these measures towards autonomy. Several young people still tell us that they have been “put out on the street” when they come of age. We are also concerned about the real accessibility of programs for 18-25 year olds, developed strictly by the Ministry of Health and Social Services when the needs are multidimensional. An integrated response to the needs of young people is required and it is clear that the solution must be interministerial, but above all intersectoral.
The report of the Laurent commission was however very clear. It recommends a program offered up to the age of 25, covering the components of housing, schooling and professional qualification, income, social and community support and access to health and social services.
The National Council of Advocates for Youth in Care (Canada), which published, in 2021, the report Fair Transition to Adulthood Standards for Youth in Careagrees in the same direction.
Added to this are the results of research, still gloomy, on the living conditions of young people in care, on the under-education of young people leaving care, on their precarious mental health and on the number of young people who live on homelessness or significant residential instability, hindering their functioning and their integration into society.
As a result of these unfortunate observations, the Laurent commission will have attached great importance to the well-being of young people, to their living conditions, to the humanization of rehabilitation approaches and to the stabilization of children’s situations, and this, as soon as possible.
As for the current progress of the other parts of the commission’s report, one thing is clear: already more than two years have passed since it was tabled and the flagship recommendation to appoint a Commissioner for the Welfare and Rights of Children has still not been implemented. However, this measure is essential to respect the rights of children and young people and to ensure their full participation in society. They so deserve it.
* Co-signatories: Cécile Arbaud, Executive Director of Dans la Rue, co-founder of the Coalition Jeunes+; Nancy Audet, journalist, host, author, speaker, sponsor of the DPJ Youth Foundation and spokesperson for the 16-21 mentoring program for the organization Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Quebec; Fabienne Audette, Executive Director of the Youth Foundation of the DPJ; Benoit Bernier, co-founder and development director of Déclic; Marie-Ève Brousseau, project manager at Mobilization, Coalition Jeunes+; Anick Charland, ex-placed and member of the board of directors of the Friendship, Resources and Mutual Aid Center for Youth (CARE Jeunesse); Jessica Côté-Guimond, ex-placed and director of the Collectif Ex-placed DPJ; Mélanie-Maxine Doucet, ex-placed, Head of Research and Projects, Child Welfare League of Canada and Assistant Professor, McGill University, School of Social Work; Benoit Duplessis, from the Regroupement des foundations pour la protection de la jeunesse du Québec (RFPJQ); Gabriela Gomez, Director of Social Counseling, Head and Hands; Martin Goyette, co-holder of the Quebec Youth Research Network Chair; director of the EDJeP partnership, National School of Public Administration; Catherine Ippersiel, instigator and spokesperson, Bagages de vie; André Lebon, consultant and former vice-president of the Special Commission on Children’s Rights and Youth Protection; Myriam Lepage-Lamazzi, Coordinator, Youth Movement and Mental Health; Sonia Lombart, co-founder and CEO, Déclic; Varda Mann-Feder, Full Professor, Applied Human Sciences, Concordia University; Judy Martin, Executive director, Hylcan Foundation; Michael Udy, Consultant; Mikah Youbi, founding general manager of Renaître de la Rue and former member of the DPJ; Nicolas Zorn, social entrepreneur and ex-worker of the DPJ