Human rights body investigates Nunavik youth service centres

ODILE NELSON

Quebec’s human rights commission is investigating Nunavik’s youth protection centres, after receiving scores of complaints that the region’s social services are failing its children.

Ginette L’Heureux, director of communications for the Quebec Human and Youth Rights Commission, last week confirmed investigators began travelling throughout the region in late April.

Investigators are currently gathering statements from youth protection management and employees, town officials, children and parents, she said.

“Children who have diverse problems like suicide or who are neglected, the directeur de la protection de la jeunesse should take care of,” L’Heureux said. “So we have complaints and complaints and complaints that he doesn’t take care of that case, that case, that case, so we decided to do an inquiry.”

L’Heureux said she could not discuss the complaints because the investigation is continuing. But she said the quantity is large enough that investigators are only pursuing one out of every three accusations.

Under Quebec law, youth protection services must intervene when any situation threatens the security or development of children under 18 years of age.

Intervention can mean many things, from teaching parenting skills, to counselling troubled youth, to removing children from their parents’ custody.

When any youth protection centre or director fails to effectively provide these interventions, it is the provincial commission’s job to investigate.

The commission’s inquiry involves both regional centres managed by the Nunavik Board of Health and Social Services.

The Hudson Coast centre is located at Puvirnituq’s Inuulitsivik Health Centre and directed by Annie Tulugak. Louisa May is the director for youth protection services at the Ungava Tulattavik Heath Centre.

May could not be reached for comment before Nunatsiaq News’ publication deadline and Tulugak refused to comment.

But Elena Labranche, the acting executive director for the health board, said the organization is co-operating with the inquiry and hopes to create something positive out of any eventual recommendations.

“The investigation is happening whether we like it or not,” Labranche said. “We are going to do what we can to improve the situation.”

This inquiry is not the first time Quebec has investigated Nunavik’s services for youth.
In the mid-1990s, the Quebec government asked a committee from Tulattavik to study the region’s existing services.

In 1997, the committee’s report concluded “a crisis for the youth population is a threat, a sword in the future tomorrow” and that “if it is not dealt with immediately and adequately, it could become the end of a dream for Nunavik after so many years of struggle.”

The report made over 70 recommendations, including a reorganization of services in Nunavik.

Labranche, who as a temporary director is limited in her ability to spearhead changes, said she was not aware of the report and didn’t know if the health board had implemented any of its recommendations.

But Lynn Sparks, who worked from 1993 to 2000 in youth protection services in Kuujjuaq, believes most remain unimplemented.

Sparks now works for the Northern Quebec Module in Montreal. She said it is “absolutely” true that the region’s youth protection services are failing.

But reasons for this are complex, she said.

“It’s very stressful work anywhere, and there are never sufficient resources,” she said. “In Nunavik, resources are even less available than they are down South. Even something as basic as finding foster homes is endlessly problematic in Nunavik.”

Though the directors likely play some part in the situation, Sparks said blaming them is counterproductive.

“They don’t necessarily have the necessary professional training,” she said. “But it’s an overwhelming position and they are often too busy to focus on management alone…. When you’re mired in the middle of a crisis and trying to keep your services running, it’s hard to spend time and set long-term goals.”

Any solution must be comprehensive, she said, and be primarily pushed by Inuit.

It would also require sufficient government funding to create adequate resources, more education for youth services employees and directors, and use public awareness campaigns so that the role of the youth protection service is properly understood.

An Inuit social worker with youth services, who asked not to be named, agreed.

“It is very difficult trying to put a child out of the home. We do a lot of different work but this is the hardest. The child is hurt and the parents are hurt,” she said. “I have a name but sometimes [to others] I am only a social worker.”

She was hopeful the commission could create positive change.

“I didn’t know somebody was coming in, but it would be nice to talk with them. We need that and that. As a worker we are not looking at the money needed but at the children and ways of getting prevention for the better,” she said.

Sparks said it is imperative that the inquiry not lead to only another set of stagnant recommendations.

“There’s not much point doing investigations unless you ensure something will actually be done,” Sparks said. “There needs to be somebody who is in control of the crisis. The directors are too involved in day-to-day work to develop the pieces that are missing. They need somebody who can be objective and have a mandate to make it happen and follow through on it and I’m sure that would be a full-time job for a couple of years.”

L’Heureux anticipated it would take between two or three weeks for investigators to finish their inquiries.