A dozen local community groups are signing up for ‘Ma famille, ma communauté’
Quebec Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant and Minister Responsible for the Laval Region Christopher Skeete were joined by several other Laval CAQ MNAs on Nov. 22 for the launch in Laval of a new social services program designed to minimize the impact on children when troubled family circumstances make it necessary to find new homes.
New to Laval
The Quebec Social Services’ Ministry’s new ‘Ma famille, ma communauté’ (My family, my community) program, which is now being introduced here, brings together resources from several levels of the government (including youth protection and adult services) in order to allow vulnerable families to be followed more efficiently when an intervention is necessary.
According to a statement from the ministry, the program is expected to improve access to local social services by allowing service providers who are involved to more efficiently be made aware of the various health and social circumstances being experienced by children and adolescents requiring assistance.
Children’s needs
Although overseen by the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Laval, the program is largely community-based, drawing together a number of partners to provide children, who may be at risk of needing placement, with services that include transportation and eventual reunification with their natural families.
“Thanks to this new intervention approach which has been redeveloped, the Ma famille, ma communauté program will be assuring better care for children and youths who are the most vulnerable,” said Skeete, who is the CAQ MNA for Sainte-Rose.
“I feel very proud to welcome this initiative in our region, and I would like to congratulate the various partners who became involved in the realization of this project,” he added.
A track record
“The Ma famille, ma communauté program has proven itself worthy everywhere it has been deployed,” said Carmant. “I hope to extend it to the various regions of Quebec. I would like to thank all the players who are involved, all the committees and all the teams who pooled their efforts to create a larger circle to watch over the children in the region of Laval.
“Each child deserves to be able to develop and grow in an environment that is secure, caring and stable for the good of his or her development,” he continued. “This program is part of a range of actions taken by our government in order to bring children back to the centre of decisions that concern them.”
Groups interested
To date, according to the social services ministry, a dozen community groups in the Laval region have signed letters of intent stating their willingness to participate in the program. In addition, several other groups, some of which are involved while others are not, expressed their willingness to take part in a team-based decision-making process as interested parties.
In July 2020, the CAQ government, then in its first term in office, made the decision to allot $90 million in order to upgrade and improve social services for troubled youths and their families. According to the ministry, a further $3 million will be allotted annually for the implementation of the Ma famille, ma communauté program.
