From May 15 to 21, it’s Quebec Family Week, which this year takes place under the theme “Simplifying the process for families: making access to services a priority”. Behind this laudable objective lies a very simple idea: what if we gave ourselves a real strategy to simplify their lives, by ensuring that they have easy access to the services they need to thrive and fully play their role in the within society?
Because the life of families is not a long calm river. From pregnancy to old age, there are many times when they will need support.
Whether it’s fertility support, adoption, support during pregnancy and after birth, mental and physical health care, schools, early childhood educational childcare, preschool and school, community activities, not to mention day camps, specialized services for children in need of special support, parental leave, family-work balance assistance measures or support for caregivers, it’s a whole journey that awaits them, with needs that will evolve at each stage of it.
Photo provided by Corinne Vachon-Croteau
Difficulties
As a society, Quebec has chosen to help its families by implementing a whole range of services and supporting a vast network of community organizations, which is often the envy of others in the world. But the sky of this “family paradise” is increasingly clouded by the difficulties of access to these services: lack of places, lack of resources, lack of follow-up, lack of coordination.
The life course of families too often resembles that of a fighter, which is not without consequences for their support network, such as grandparents, who also suffer from it.
What if we worked together to simplify this journey? To offer everyone, young and old, equality in their chances of success and in the care they receive? To better coordinate the efforts made to support families and their loved ones by harmonizing services, by reducing the number of doors on which you have to knock to be heard, by putting more efforts upstream to prevent rather than cure?
Mobilization
On the occasion of Quebec Family Week, we invite all those who play a role with families, from all sectors, as well as government authorities to mobilize, consult and work in unison… to make access to services a real priority.
It’s possible. And our efforts will make Quebec a more inclusive, stronger, more united society. A society where all families, whether nuclear, single-parent or blended, immigrant or “native”, from large centers to remote regions, with or without particular vulnerability, will find on their way the support they need to move forward in this journey and actively contribute to our collective success.
Photo provided by Corinne Vachon-Croteau
Corinne Vachon-Croteau, Executive Director of the Network for a Family Quebec, as well as 18 co-signatories
Co-signers:
Eve Lagacée, Executive Director of the Association of Public Libraries of Quebec
Éric Beauchemin, General Manager of the Association des camps du Québec
Sandrine Tarjon, Executive Director of the Association des haltes-garderies communautaire du Québec
Diane Miron, Executive Director of the Quebec Association of School Guards
Sandro Di Cori, Executive Director of the Quebec Association of Early Childhood Centers
Marie Simard, Executive Director of the Confederation of Family Organizations of Quebec
Francine Lessard, President and CEO of the Quebec Council for Educational Childcare Services
Doreen Assaad, President of Espace MUNI
Kevin Roy, President of the Federation of Parents’ Committees of Quebec
Mélanie Sanschagrin, Executive Director of the Quebec Federation of Community Recreation Centers
Alex Gauthier, Executive Director of the Quebec Federation of Family Community Organizations
Élise Boyer, General Manager of the Olo Foundation
Guillaume Joseph, Executive Director of L’Appui for Caregivers
Ludovic Salondy, project manager for work-life balance, Proche-Aidance Québec Raymond Villeneuve, general manager of the Regroupement pour la Valorisation de la Paternité René Cloutier, general manager of the Réseau Avant de Craquer
Marie-Claude Dufour, Executive Director of the Network of Perinatal Resource Centers of Quebec
Christine Fortin, Executive Director of the Maisons Oxygène Network