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CBC
19-06-2025
- CBC
Quebec's child protection services seeing rising reports, retaining fewer cases
Quebec's child protection services are seeing a significant rise in reports, impacting more than 105,000 children across the province. "That's a lot of children we're worried about," stated Marie-Josée Audette, the director of the Direction de la protection de la jeunesse (DPJ) in the Montérégie region. New annual statistics from the provincial DPJ released Thursday reveal a five per cent increase in reports for 2024-25, reaching a total of 141,600. Reports were retained for 35,264 children, Audette said. This represents less than a third of all reports received. About 40 per cent of children taken in by the DPJ remained in their family environment. While more children are being flagged as at-risk, the percentage of cases officially retained by the DPJ is actually decreasing, raising questions about the system's capacity and broader support networks. During a news conference in Quebec City, Lesley Hill, the DPJ's new director, acknowledged that youth protection issues are systemic. She mentioned having started her tour of Quebec regions, which allowed her to make observations on the ground. "Unfortunately, some terrible things are happening to children. I was also able to gauge the extent of the challenges and the systemic issues we face," Hill said. "When you're on the ground, you truly grasp the complexity of it all." Hill also indicated in the report that a major transformation is needed to move toward more humane approaches in DPJ services. "Many parents have confided in me their helplessness in navigating a system that seems cold and austere to them. Many young people have spoken to me about the importance of humanizing the system," she said. Many children and families are only being reported to child protection services at a crisis point, she said, often without having received earlier support. Hill questions whether these critical situations could have been avoided if adequate preventative services had been in place. In 2024-25, more than 10,000 teens received services under the federal Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) — a 7.4 per cent increase from last year. "In the YCJA, it's clearly demonstrated that early intervention upstream prevents delinquency," said Caroline Brown, director of the DPJ of Chaudière-Appalaches "The biggest predictors of delinquency: expulsion from school, isolation and neglect. The financial precariousness of families, the shortage of adequate housing, the psychological state of parents and children — these are all elements that require action." She said the DPJ alone cannot meet all needs. Michelle Frenette, director of the DPJ of Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, expressed concern over recent multi-million dollar budget cuts by the Coalition Avenir Québec government, which affect health, social services and education. She emphasized that these cuts have a major impact on young people, particularly in schools, influencing decisions like homeschooling, suspensions and expulsions. Frenette said the DPJ is actively working with the government to ensure essential measures for Quebec's children are not overlooked despite the financial constraints. Nelson Pimentel, interim youth protection director at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres, acknowledged the critical role of reports to the DPJ. He emphasized that the focus shouldn't solely be on increasing reports, but rather on proactive investment in community partners and alternative solutions. Pimentel highlighted a significant trend: while reports from the general public have remained stable, reports from other professionals, such as police departments, schools and other front-line services, have "skyrocketed."
CTV News
19-06-2025
- CTV News
Quebec sees a 5% increase in youth protection reports
Lesley Hill, the new national director of youth protection, DPJ, speaks at a news conference, Thursday, October 31, 2024 at the legislature in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press) Around 141,600 reports were made to Quebec's Youth Protection (DPJ) in 2024-2025, representing a five per cent increase compared to last year, according to statistics from the DPJ's annual report presented on Thursday. The reports concern 105,675 children in Quebec. 'That's a lot of children we're concerned about,' said Montérégie DPJ director Marie-Josée Audette. 'The number of reports continues to rise. (...) Nevertheless, the retention rate is decreasing. There are 35,264 children for whom the report has been retained. This represents less than a third of all reports received.' It should be noted that nearly 40 per cent of children taken into care by the DPJ remained in their family environment. At a news conference in Quebec City, Lesley Hill, who became the new provincial director of youth protection (DPJ) last fall, acknowledged that youth protection issues are systemic. She said she began her tour of Quebec's regions, which allowed her to make observations in the field. 'Unfortunately, terrible things are happening to children. I was also able to see the magnitude of the challenges and systemic issues we face,' she said. Hill was not surprised by this, as she is a former commissioner of the Special Commission on the Rights of Children and Youth Protection, which was formed in the wake of the Granby girl tragedy. 'We had already documented these systemic issues, but when you're in the field, you realize how complex it all is,' the director said. More than 10,000 teenagers in care Hill indicated in the report that a major transformation was needed to move toward more humane approaches in DPJ services. 'Many parents have told me how powerless they feel in a system that seems cold and austere to them. Many young people have told me about the importance of humanizing the system,' she said. 'Unfortunately, we are seeing that many children and families are being reported without having received any prior services, sometimes in extremely critical situations. And I always ask myself, if we had been able to provide them with better support, would we be in this situation?' For 2024-2025, there were also 10,095 adolescents who received services under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (LLJPA), representing a 7.4 per cent increase over last year. 'It's a small number, but this small number requires our full attention so that it doesn't become a very large number. Several mechanisms, support systems and approaches have been put in place to ensure that we take the necessary steps to keep this number very small,' said Audette. She spoke of 'very serious situations' that occurred this year and attracted the attention of youth protection directors, including affiliations with organized crime and car theft. 'The LLJPA clearly demonstrates that early intervention upstream prevents delinquency. The biggest predictors of delinquency are expulsion from school, isolation and neglect. The financial precariousness of families, the shortage of adequate housing, the psychological state of parents and children — these are all factors that need to be addressed. The DPJ cannot respond to all needs on its own,' argued Chaudière-Appalaches DPJ director Caroline Brown. Difficult budgetary context The fragile economic context means that the government faces difficult choices in managing its budget. In recent months, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government has imposed cuts of several million dollars on the health and social services network, as well as on school service centres and the education sector. 'As the DPJ, it is clearly a concern when we talk about cuts affecting children and young people. As we have said, the impact is significant, particularly in schools, in terms of decisions to homeschool, suspend or expel students. But I think what we are also trying to see with the ministries and with Santé Québec is how to implement important measures that should not be overlooked for the children of Quebec,' said Gaspésie--Îles-de-la-Madeleine DPJ director Michelle Frenette. The Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS) has denounced the fact that working conditions remain a cause for concern in several regions, highlighting that there are 'hundreds of vacant positions, significant administrative overload and a severe lack of resources.' 'Our members are exhausted and have been waiting too long for concrete action to lighten their workload and improve their working conditions,' said APTS president Robert Comeau in a news release. This has repercussions on the support offered to young people, particularly in cases of domestic violence or transition to adulthood. However, Comeau is hopeful that Hill's recent appointment will improve the situation. He hopes that her mandate will lead to more transparent and constructive communication between the field and decision-makers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 19, 2025. The Canadian Press's health content is funded through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial choices.
