The Director of Youth Protection (DPJ) is looking for host families for 70 children and young people in the Capitale-National region.
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The DPJ explains this situation, among other things, with the retirement of several families who worked with the director for several years.
“A family can have four to six children when they decide to retire. Therefore, several new ones are needed to compensate for these departures,” explains Julie Goupil, head of host family evaluation at the Capitale-Nationale Integrated University Center for Health and Social Services (CIUSSS), to the Journal.
There is a particular need for youth in the Quebec region, noted Ms. Goupil, who added that the increase in reports is putting pressure on the organization.
“Children’s situations are also becoming increasingly complex,” adds the manager. We are therefore looking for stable environments for the children.”
Renewing the DPJ's host family bank may also take some time, given the responsibility incumbent on future parents.
“It takes a lot of thought on the part of people running for office. We want that too, because it is not a self-evident decision,” explains Ms. Goupil.
She agrees that “myths need to be deconstructed” about the standards to be maintained in relation to the house in which the host family lives.
Ms. Goupil reiterates that the CIUSSS has made the decision to be open if candidates “really have the ability” to create a host family.
“We will not reject the file because five centimeters are missing from the ceiling,” she explains. “We recognize that people living in an apartment can only make so many changes.”
She estimates that around 260 foster families currently house DPJ children in the Capitale-Nationale region. About half of them are “mixed banks,” that is, with the intention of adopting the child they take in.
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