Between obsolete and outdated care and protection structures and the wait for saviors with prestigious titles, whether commissioners, child defenders, ombudsmen, superministers or other not very reassuring creatures, the child vulnerable never ceases to find themselves between two stools or between two extreme cases that are unnecessarily over-publicized. Are we going to wait much longer to take profound action to counter the severe vulnerability of many young people at the mercy of our society? Too many children are suffering in silence and at great risk, right before our eyes.
The vulnerable child is not always who we think. It is found in all walks of life, from poor parents to rich parents alike. It can even live very close to us without it appearing and without us being able to easily detect it with the naked eye. A child’s vulnerability has everything to do with lack of social equity and toxic environments of various kinds. The vulnerability of children also has its spectrum from worst to least bad, depending on the different types of toxic exposure to which these children are subjected, its chronicity and the intensity of the trauma which fuels it.
There are those who suffer from a lack of sufficient day-to-day food or the enjoyment of sanitary housing. There are those who are exposed to toxic stress from a very young age or even during pregnancy. Others are insecure or victims of inadequate stimulation or neglect or abuse of all kinds. Suffering can be periodic or continuous and its impact on overall health is devastating. Who are these thousands of children in precarious situations found throughout Quebec? And how many are there?
We already find them in daycare services weakened by multiple developmental problems, in schools experiencing total failure, on the waiting list of the Director of Youth Protection for months, some placed in centers reception centers which are obsolete by default, waiting for help services which only arrive in dribs and drabs. They find themselves in major psychological distress, struggling to live and in complete despair. During this time, we continue to question how: we seek where to start, little concerned about the consequences which overwhelm these child victims of our inertia.
Practical solutions
Solutions do exist, but we don’t seem to see them. Science is more and more unanimous, these children need many things, but above all special attention from a committed, endearing, meaningful and effective person to meet their multiple needs and to ensure ‘total respect for their fundamental rights. We are not only looking for specialists, but first and foremost, real people from our surroundings who are dedicated to treating and restoring hope with very local solutions.
My entire career is dedicated to providing the best care for vulnerable children through the community social pediatrics approach. We defend practical solutions based on science and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. We are experts in addressing the issue of vulnerability among young people. Our network of more than 45 centers across Quebec offers comprehensive preventive and curative care to more than ten thousand children. We can do even better with your support.
Together and present in the most difficult environments, we have many of the answers to get these children out of the impasse and to give them hope for a better life. What are you waiting for to help us ensure that no child falls between two chairs in Quebec? Much reflection and discussion has taken place and we must now apply lasting solutions to change the situation. These sustainable solutions exist and they are supported by all our teams in Quebec. They ask nothing better than to continue their work and do more.