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CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Quebec youth protection revamp: DPJ director says ‘society' is biggest hurdle
After numerous controversies and scandals, Quebec officials acknowledge that the province's youth protection system (DPJ) needs a major overhaul. In an interview with CTV News, Director Lesley Hill insists now's the time to overthrow the status quo. Hill assumed the department's portfolio in October 2024 after serving on the Laurent Commission, which examined the shortcomings of the DPJ after the tragic death of a seven-year-old girl in Granby in 2019. Cases like that of the little girl, she explains, are why she wants to make drastic changes for children across Quebec. READ MORE: Reports of children in youth protection exposed to domestic violence has doubled in 10 years Her first step: curbing the high number of runaways in the province's youth centres. How? By giving them more freedom, a move rooted in a type of reverse psychology. 'They're running from the rigid rules instead of trying to work through certain issues with the social workers and educators who are there to help them,' said Hill. 'We're better to help them while they're young than to keep them safe until age 18, and then they're completely on their own.' But why are these teens leaving the youth centres in the first place? 'A lot of kids have told me they're running not always from the youth centre,' but towards more independence, explains Hill. 'They want to go and see their friends. They want liberty, autonomy, a space to sort of chill and enjoy their lives and their teenage years, which is completely normal.' teenagers A file photo of teenagers (cottonbro studio/ A new method Hill says she has been working with the province's organizations to introduce a new method that allows the teens to safely live their lives and experience a little risk – essentially, giving them a taste of the freedom they so crave. The method – a completely different clinical model called the self-determination model – was first tested by a unit at an eastern Montreal centre with the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal: 'We're going to be accompanying you, but you're going to make your own decisions.' ''Is this really real, that they're not shutting the door anymore, that I can go in and out and do what I want?'' she said of the response, adding that the teens were swift to act. 'We saw our runaways just go up through the roof for about two, three months.' Eventually, Hill says, the teens all came back, and feedback from all sides was resoundingly positive. 'The educators realized that they're doing real supporting of young people, real coaching, so they acquire the independence necessary to fend for themselves,' said Hill. 'The young people's satisfaction in the services went through the roof as well.' The method isn't foolproof, of course, with Hill acknowledging that some children may gravitate towards a gang or become a victim of sexual exploitation. 'You can't do it with everybody because some young people really do put themselves in dangerous situations,' she said. 'Risk management is always important, but we can't have this across-the-board approach in our youth centres anymore where we're so afraid that something's going to happen, that our rules are so rigid that the kids are running anyway.' However, in most cases, Hill points out that the benefits far outweigh the risks. 'We need to be just a little less quick on the trigger to bring them back because they need to live certain experiences,' she said. 'When they come back, they're going to talk to us about what they understood from those experiences that they lived.' teenagers A file photo of teenagers. ( Yan Krukau/ Working together En Marge 12-17 is one of the organizations that has worked with Hill for years to improve the system from the inside out. 'We recognize the importance of taking the youth as they are, and taking them in their globality and working with risk reduction, as well [as] with them, in order to help them transition to adulthood with decency,' Director General Tristan Delorme tells CTV News. 'Maybe we're not going to know exactly where they are, but we're going to take the risk that they're going to start trusting us, and then when they flee, they're going to write us on Messenger or text us and call us and let us know that they're alright.' READ MORE: Montreal group holds major forum on preventing early childhood neglect He points out that stifling teens, who just want to rebel and exercise independence, can only backfire. 'They are children. We often forget it because they seem more mature, sometimes, than when we were 16 or 17,' Delorme states. 'It's really, really hard. They don't know anything because they haven't been given the opportunity to try it.' teenagers A file photo of teenagers. (George Pak/ The stats Hill explains that a child is considered a 'runaway' once they've been unreported for an hour. Most of the kids, she explains – 75 per cent – come back within eight hours. 'If we want them to be independent, autonomous, be able to make good choices for themselves, we need to be able to let them experience certain things,' said Hill. 'Maybe even go through certain situations where we're more supporting, accompanying, and trying to understand what happened to them, but always, always making sure that they're as safe as possible.' Others – the remaining 25 per cent – can be gone for multiple days. Numbers provided to CTV News by Montreal police (SPVM) show that the number of teen disappearances (13 to 17 years old), including runaways, in the province has remained relatively steady in recent years: Year Total disappearances 2018 1,628 2019 1,588 2020 1,134 2021 1,037 2022 1,298 2023 1,411 2024 (Jan. 1 to March 31) 313 *Complete data for 2024 and the first half of 2025 is not yet available. 'The SPVM receives an average of more than 3,000 reports of missing persons (including runaways) each year, with this number rising to 3,773 in 2023,' the force tells CTV News. 'Around half of all missing persons are found within 24 hours.' Additionally, in the DPJ's annual report, released in June, the department recorded 141,622 safety checks for 105,675 children across Quebec, an increase of five per cent. Last year, the department recorded 141,622 reports for 105,675 children across Quebec, an increase of five per cent. Of these, 29.3 per cent (35,264 children) were selected for further assessment. The report also finds that 10,095 adolescents received services under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), representing a 7.4 per cent increase from last year. According to Nelson Pimentel, interim youth protection director at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres in Montreal, the local English sector saw a five per cent increase in wellness reports last year, mostly for children under the age of 12. Of the 141,000 reports, 41,000 were retained for evaluation. Pimentel points out that most of the reports were made by community professionals, including those in schools and daycares, and estimates that 49 per cent were for cases of neglect or risk of neglect. 'There is an obligation for all of us to work together,' he said. 'Our hope is that we work better together with one another to ensure that we have a very good safety net around our clients in the community.' teenagers A file photo of teenagers. (Afta Putta Gunawan/ The blame game The most difficult factor to overcome when enforcing change, according to Hill? Society's preconceived notions of what happens behind closed doors. 'It's very difficult to do risk management-type work when there's a lot of blame in society,' she said. 'Right now, unfortunately, there is a lot of blame. And I'm not saying the blame is all undeserved. There have been difficulties in the youth protection system, and we're trying to address them.' One of the most notable cases is that of the seven-year-old girl in Granby, who died after being abused by her father and stepmother. The girl's family sued the youth protection agency and the local school board, claiming they failed to act despite numerous warning signs. Other issues include the Quebec government putting a branch of the province's youth protection office under trusteeship following a report that showed dozens of violations of children's rights, as well as claims that educators at a detention centre for youth in Montreal had sexual relations with minors, resulting in the birth of one child. teenagers A file photo of teenagers. (cottonbro studio/ A 'risk-averse' strategy The province's current 'risk-averse' strategy, says Hill, comes from a place of fear. You can lock a child in a room, she explains, and they'll be physically safe, but the psychological harm could outweigh any good. 'Often, security takes a very large space – and it's OK. We want our children to be secure,' Hill tells CTV News. 'But we also need to let them experience certain things, develop their capacity, their autonomy, and that means managing risk.' Hill says changing the department's best practices shouldn't cost much in terms of money. Time, she says, is a different question. READ MORE: Newly appointed youth protection head Lesley Hill promises greater transparency Hill says there are already a lot of changes being made behind the scenes, including training frontline workers to better help the young people in their care. Hill is giving herself until December 2026 to achieve the rebuild. She admits it's an aggressive deadline, but insists drastic measures are needed given the importance of the issue at hand.
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.
