Quebec launches strategy to tackle rising child welfare reports

Lesley Hill, National Director of Child Protection, speaks at a press conference on Thursday Oct. 31, 2024 at the National Assembly in Québec City. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot)

To address the growing number of reports to the Youth Protection system (DPJ) amid stretched frontline services, the Legault government is launching a new child well-being strategy called Grandir en confiance (Growing Up with Confidence).

Quebec plans to invest $34 million over three years in the strategy, which was recommended by the Laurent Commission, tasked with examining children’s rights and youth protection.

In a statement released Wednesday, the office of the health minister said the number of reports to the DPJ has increased by 110 per cent over 20 years, while “frontline services remain heavily in demand.”

The statement also noted that each year “an increasing number of families turn to public services to cope with challenges such as poverty, food insecurity or psychosocial difficulties.” The strategy aims to focus on prevention to address these issues.

Sonia Dugal, director general of Youth Health and Well-Being at Santé Québec, confirmed that the goal is to intervene earlier, before cases reach the DPJ.

“The idea is that if we work with parents and children before problems become too entrenched, we can relieve pressure on the entire system,” she said in an interview.

The DPJ should not be the first point of contact for families, she added.

“If we can make the shift we want, putting the necessary intensity into frontline services at CLSCs, the Jeunes en difficulté program, and other services offered by public health authorities… if we can strengthen those, young people will access services there, and there should be far fewer going to the DPJ. That’s the bet we’re making.”

Targets across the youth trajectory

The strategy has six main priorities, including strengthening prevention and frontline services and adapting services for First Nations and Inuit children. It also aims to ensure that youth protection intervenes only when truly necessary.

Three implementation plans will be developed by 2035, with initiatives detailed in each. The first plan runs until 2029. Recommendations include improving access to services at CLSCs and offering a “neglect intervention program for parents both before and after youth protection involvement.”

Dugal said many trainings and tools will be rolled out in the coming months. For example, the Être parent program will offer group training sessions for parents and is currently in preparation.

While specific targets have not yet all been set, eventually there will be benchmarks for all 40 measures in the implementation plan, she said.

“If we only have a target for the DPJ, without identifying targets for the various promotion and prevention programs at the frontline, we won’t reach the ultimate goal of improving youth health and well-being or reducing the number of substantiated reports,” Dugal added.

Schools, community organizations, early childhood educational services, and municipalities will all play a role.

“The responsibility to protect children and vulnerable youth goes beyond the health and social services network. That’s why I welcome the close collaboration of all partners joining us to meet these challenges,” Health Minister Sonia Bélanger said in a statement.

Lesley Hill, national director of youth protection, highlighted in writing that “this strategy consolidates measures put in place in recent years following the Laurent Commission’s recommendations, embedding these actions within a coherent long-term vision for the well-being of our children.”

Foster families disappointed

The Fédération des familles d’accueil et ressources intermédiaires du Québec (FFARIQ) expressed disappointment over the lack of concrete measures to support the 3,700 foster families it represents, which care for 6,000 children across Québec.

“We cannot applaud priorities that do not translate into concrete actions for foster families. We are told we are essential partners for children’s well-being—we are. So treat us as such,” said Mélanie Gagnon, FFARIQ’s provincial president, in a statement.

According to the federation, when a family member, sometimes someone the child barely knows, agrees to take in a child, “the state gives them this responsibility without adequate resources or support.”

“We are asking the government for real measures to recruit, support and value foster families, as well as a firm commitment to young people leaving our homes at 18 without a safety net,” Gagnon added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 1, 2026.

Katrine Desautels, The Canadian Press

Health coverage by The Canadian Press is supported through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content.