Youth protection referrals drop amid Quebec teacher strikes, raising concern among experts

As thousands of teachers continue to strike across Quebec with no end in sight, the number of referrals to the province's youth protection services has declined significantly, raising concerns among some experts. 

Montreal has seen referrals drop by a quarter in the three weeks since the Fédération autonome de l'enseignement's (FAE) strike began on Nov. 23, when compared to the three weeks leading up to the strike.

In Montreal, the Directeur de la protection de la jeunesse (DPJ), Quebec's youth protection agency, received 1,389 referrals in the three weeks leading up to Nov. 18 and then 1,044 over three weeks leading up to Dec. 9. 

The drop amounts to 36 per cent in the Outaouais region, while in Laval referrals have dropped by 38 per cent, according to Quebec government data. 

About a third of referrals are typically submitted by teachers or other school staff, especially in elementary schools, explains Lesley Hill, who was a member of a special commission on children's rights and youth protection in Quebec. 

Teachers are often sensitive to behavioural shifts that might indicate bigger issues at home, Hill said. 

"They can sort of be alert and aware and make sure that these children are picked-up upon instead of being under the radar at school."

About 66,500 teachers with the FAE are wrapping up their fourth week of unlimited strike affecting 368,000 students. Another 95,000 teachers represented by the Fédération des syndicats de l'enseignment (FSE) went on a one-week strike earlier this month and are threatening to embark on an unlimited strike in the new year if the government doesn't reach a deal with them. 

Hill worries that more instability will only make things worse for some vulnerable children.

"As soon as tension in a family rises, if there's already maltreatment in that home, the probability of it getting worse or occurring more often is definitely there, so it's a risk leaving children at home in those situations," she said.

Schools act as a "buffer for parental stress," said Camil Bouchard, a retired psychology professor at l'Université du Québec à Montréal. 

A lot of children today are familiar with periods of instability given their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that doesn't mean they're less affected by them. 

"As a society, we haven't [addressed] this issue," he said. "It's as if we haven't learned anything out of it."

According to him, laws or programs should have been put in place to offer a solution to families when schools close for extended periods of time. He suggests opening school buildings for volunteers to organize activities during strikes or other future disruptions, so that children can maintain a routine. 

Hill thinks it's time for a debate tackling whether schools should be considered an essential service. 

"We'd all be out on the streets as a population if we didn't have any health care anymore during all the negotiations," she said. "Why don't kids have that same right to services in our society?"

In the meantime, both Hill and Bouchard say it falls to communities to stay attentive to children and their needs. 

Hill adds that when schools eventually do reopen, teachers will have to be mindful that the closure will have impacted different children in different ways. A child with a learning disability will not be able to catch up as quickly as their peers.

"We're going to have to be really careful that we're not creating injustice and inequity for certain groups of children who already have difficulty," said Hill.