Waiting lists dwindle at Quebec's youth protection agency, but is that a good sign?

The wait for youth protection services in Quebec is at a historic low, andjunior health ministerLionel Carmant says credit should go to the government's recent $65 million investment into the system.

But experts and union officials believe the decrease is morelikely due to the pandemic, which has closed many of the usual facilities where children in need of help are identified.

With the exception of Nunavik, the Montregie and the Eastern Townships, waiting lists foryouth protection services in the province are empty, Carmant said at a news conference this weekend.

Carmant attributed the development to a funding increase in thein Quebec's 20192020 budget, which included$47 million to hire an additional 600 case workers.

But Universit du Qubec en Outaouais professor Marie-ve Clment, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Violence Against Children, said empty waiting lists were to be expected.

Restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 mean there are fewer opportunitiesto observe and report potential cases where protective care may be necessary, she said.

In a 2019 report,the Director of Youth Protection (DYP) said20 per cent ofits cases were first flagged in schools, 34 per cent incommunity organizations and 10 per cent inthe community.

"All of those sources are now unavailable," Clment said.

'Good initiatives,' but union says more needs to be done

Steve Garceau, the national representative for the APTS union, which represents social serviceworkers, alsonamed teachers, community organizers and staff at CLSCs as crucial parts of the protection system that have effectively been sidelined by COVID-19 restrictions.

Garceau said the union's research shows reports have declined 30 per cent around the province since the pandemic began.

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Carmant acknowledged he is "very worried" that the DYP is not hearing about theprovince's most vulnerable children.

But he added that the lack of waiting lists now means "when there is a report, it will be dealt with in a reasonable time." And he said various changes made at the DYP had led to a "net improvement in the situation."

Carmant noted various programs the government has implemented to address concerns about the safety of children during the pandemic,including awareness campaigns, flyers sent in the mail and better contact between the DYP and schools and community organizations.

These are "good initiatives," Garceau said, but added that Quebec still needsto do more, especially for the most vulnerable children.

At this point, students in Montreal won't return to school until September at the earliest, he observed. "That's a long time, very long, for a child in a vulnerable situation" to be out of contact with people who can help, Garceau said.