Union says youth protection still weak in Nunavik

Quebec's human rights commission lists several improvements that Nunavik youth protection officials have introduced since 2003, when early versions of the report were circulated.

But the union that represents health and social service workers at Ungava Bay's Tulattivik health board says many problems – such as a numbing isolation for workers and a lack of structure, training, professional support and supervision – still exist.

A Nunavik health professional confirmed last week that there's a willingness to change at the health board, but that it hasn't happened yet because "nobody's really putting in the effort."

In Kuujjuaq last week, police brought to hospital an intoxicated 18-year old mother who had thrown her young baby into the air – for the second time since the infant's birth. Youth protection services are believed to have been aware of the first potentially disastrous event, but had not reacted.

As well, the human rights commission also appears unconvinced that there's been progress: its report refers to more complaints filed in 2006.

And in its report, the commission lists incompetence, weak leadership, ignorance and chronic inaction on the part of Nunavik's child youth protection services, pointing out "major" and "serious" shortfalls.

Workers' evaluations were slipshod, superficial and full of omissions: "fathers or extended family members suspected of sexual assault were virtually never interviewed."

In the Hudson Bay region especially, some families and even some social workers appear to believe that mental illness is caused by "satanic possession," making it difficult to provide badly needed mental health care to children.