The DPJ of Laval singled out by the Human Rights Commission

When the CISSS de Laval decided, last December, to intervene at the Le Jardin unit, a specialized residence which housed around ten children with autism or an intellectual disability, the situation was described as “ worrying”.

Managers of the CISSS were placed there 24 hours a day […] and the independent workforce was withdrawn to ensure staff stabilitythen explained the deputy director general of CISSS from Laval, Majorik Bouchard. The residence would be closed a few weeks later and the children transferred.

However, in the report of an investigation launched on its own initiative, the Commission on Human Rights and Youth Rights (CDPDJ) concludes that young people housed at the Le Jardin unit were exposed to situations [qui ont] compromised their security and integrity between March and November 2023.

Among the shortcomings identified, the Commission noted an incomplete assessment of children’s needs, failure to respect the right to accommodation in an appropriate place and failures to comply with obligations to report potential situations of abuse.

The report also notes a lack of diligence by the Director of Youth Protection [DPJ] at several stages of the intervention as well as [de] the absence of steps aimed at putting an end to compromised situations and preventing them from recurring.

The Commission recognizes that improvements have been made, but recommends that children have living environments adapted to their needs. She also asks the CISSS and to the DPJ de Laval to remind stakeholders of their duty to report any deficiency that could harm the children for whom these establishments are responsible.

As stated by the vice-president of the CDPDJSuzanne Arpin, the Commission will ensure rigorous follow-up with those responsible in order to guarantee the implementation of its recommendations and commitments made during the investigation.

The establishment has one month to implement the recommendations of the CDPDJ.

The children who were accommodated at [l’unité] Le Jardin are vulnerable children with disabilities. Their security and development have been compromised. Both the CISSS and the DPJ must ensure that the rights of these children are respected and that the situations they experienced are not repeated with other children.

Find a new place

According to our information, the children will have to move again within a few months. THE CISSS de Laval learned at the beginning of October that the owners of two accommodation resources were going to cease their activities. The staff of CISSS took over while waiting to find another suitable place to stay.

Furthermore, the Commission indicated that it is currently pursuing another investigation which deals in particular with the living conditions of young people housed at the Cartier Center in Laval. The findings are expected to be made public by the end of December.

Called to react, the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, declared very close monitoring of accommodation (for children) in Laval, we did not wait until after the Commission to act.

These investigations of the CDPDJ come at a time when scandals are piling up in the network of youth centers and a new national director of youth protection, Lesley Hills, says she wants put a great light in our house, in all the wardrobes, in all the rooms of the house.