The national director of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) calls for an end to the party's practice of prosecuting poverty.
Quebec's Youth Protection Directorate (DPJ) is in need of a shakeup, according to National Director Lesley Hill. She argues that the current system is too quick to label families as neglectful, often criminalizing poverty in the process.
"There are far too many children being reported to youth protection," Hill states in an interview. She believes the DPJ should focus its efforts on cases of urgent protection, such as sexual abuse, physical violence, and neglect of very young children. However, the majority of reports to the DPJ are less critical and fall into the broader category of "neglect."
These reports, Hill explains, cover a wide range of issues such as behavioral problems, exposure to domestic violence, truancy, and neglect of older children. While she acknowledges the importance of addressing these issues, she questions whether the Youth Protection Act is the best tool for the job. Instead, she suggests offering families intensive community services, rather than placing them in theChild Protection system.
The annual report of the DPJ, set to be released this week, shows a continued increase in reports within the network. However, the DPJ is accepting fewer and fewer cases. Hill sees this as proof that the system isn't working, and wonders what happens to the families whose cases are not accepted. Especially since half of the rejected cases are reported again in the following years, suggesting a lack of support for these families.
Appointed in the fall of 2024, Hill has imposed a new orientation path for recruits, emphasizing the need for more rigorous hiring and training. She believes that over the past decade, hiring criteria in the network have become too relaxed, and that we need to increase our hiring requirements to ensure extremely rigorous practices when it comes to hiring individuals who will be working with vulnerable children.
Hill also expresses concerns about the little importance given to young people within Santé Québec, the organization responsible for healthcare in the province. She feels that the focus within Santé Québec is primarily on hospitals, mental health, and dependency rather than youth issues. This is not the first time Hill has criticized the role of social services within Santé Québec. Prior to being appointed as head of the DPJ, she spoke out against what she saw as the modest role given to social services in the creation of Santé Québec.
In conclusion, Hill's proposed shift in approach by the DPJ aims to reduce the over-criminalization of families facing poverty and to focus more on preventive measures that address root causes, rather than punitive actions. This shift reflects a broader understanding that poverty should not be treated as neglect, and emphasizes prevention and support over criminalization.
- The policy-and-legislation regarding Quebec's youth protection needs reevaluation, as indicated by Lesley Hill, in light of the over-criminalization of families struggling with poverty and the focus on punitive actions rather than preventive measures.
- Within the general news, Hill's call for a shift in approach by the Youth Protection Directorate (DPJ) highlights the need to address the root causes of issues affecting families, such as behavioral problems, exposure to domestic violence, truancy, and neglect, through intensive community services instead of the Child Protection system.
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