Examples of our work to protect young people’s rights
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Child removed from foster home
The request for investigation
The Commission received a request for investigation because:
- A 12-year-old child was suddenly removed from the foster home where he had lived since he was three. He viewed these foster parents as his actual parents.
- After he was removed from their home, he was not allowed to contact or visit them for nearly two months, despite his requests to do so.
How the Commission helped this child
- The Commission investigated
Our investigation revealed that the child’s rights had been violated.
- The Commission brought the case to court
We submitted a claim to the Youth Division of the Court of Québec for violation of the child’s rights.
The Court found that the child’s rights had been violated in several ways:
- First, his foster family had not been informed of the date and time of the hearing on provisional measures.
- Furthermore, contact between the child and his foster family had been prohibited, and conditions had been imposed when they had unsupervised contact.
- Finally, nobody had adequately explained the situation to the child or given him information about returning to his foster home.
The result
In response to the Commission’s intervention, the Court returned the child to his foster home
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Young person denied outings
The request for investigation
The Commission received a request for investigation because:
- A 13-year-old boy had lived in the rehabilitation unit of a hospital for several years.
- The boy was on the autism spectrum and had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and an unspecified intellectual disability.
- On more than one occasion during his stay in the rehabilitation unit, he was kept inside and prevented from leaving for long periods of time.
How the Commission helped this child
The Commission investigated
Our investigation revealed that the child’s rights had been violated. The director of youth protection (DYP) claimed that the boy was at risk of running away if he went out, because of his behavioural issues and because there was no one to go with him.
The result
In response to the Commission’s investigation, a plan was developed for the child to go on outings and arrangements were made with a community organization to find volunteers to accompany him.
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Supervision of contact between a mother and her child
The request for investigation
The Commission received a request for investigation because:
- A director of youth protection (DYP) social worker was supervising contact between a mother and her child without valid reason.
How the Commission helped this child
The Commission investigated
Our investigation revealed that supervision of their time together should have ended some time ago.
The result
In response to the Commission’s intervention, the DYP agreed to develop a better framework for supervision of contact between parents and their children so that this would not happen again.
Youth protection: Process of a request for investigation
Staff members explain the different steps involved in processing a request for investigation: from receiving the request to following up on the recommendations it makes to ensure that a child or youth's rights are respected.
When should I contact the Commission and when should I contact the DYP?
To better understand the role of these two institutions working to protect youth, see our FAQ.
How does the Commission protect young people?
See our brochure on the Commission’s role and mission and our work to protect young people in Québec.
Brochure on the protection of youth (French only)