Quebec proposes new rules to prevent group home runaways

The Quebec government is proposing a new set of rules to give frontline workers in youth centres and group homes more power to stop teenagers and children in their care from running away.

The move comes more than a year after a series of teenage girls fled a Laval group home without permission, sparking the provincial government to launch a review of its Youth Protection Act.

The amendments to the act, if passed, would allow staff working in an open, unlocked group home to physically stop young residents from leaving.

"Instead of letting them go out and putting themselves at risk and compromising their health, we'll take the necessary steps to avoid that," said Lucie Charlebois, Quebec's minister responsible for youth protection.

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Under the new rules, the youth must be in imminent danger for an employee to restrain or block them. The situation must also be documented in detail and there must be follow ups.

"I talked with people who work with children and they told me it would be a good idea to have that specific opportunity," said Charlebois.

Charlebois said the new measures would give social workers the tools to intervene and better protect children in the care of youth protection.

Other measures

The amendments proposed by the government also include advising foster families and guardians of any judicial processes and decisions regarding the children in their care.

The government is also putting forward measures to protect the cultural identity of Indigenous teenagers and children in youth protection. This includes placing them with family members, within their community or with another Indigenous family.