This week, La Presse reported on the suicide of a 16-year-old girl at the Centre de réadaptation jeunesse de Prévost, a facility in the Laurentians region run by the Batshaw Youth & Family Centres. Centre staff members are repeating—publicly this time—that successive job cuts have impeded the supervision of youth in their care. Ten youth worker positions were recently cut, yet each filled three shifts a week, making for 30 lost shifts.
“Investment in front-line workers is dearly needed,” said Barbara Duval, president of CUPE 2718. Duval, who represents the youth workers at the Prévost centre and has over 25 years’ experience, went on to explain that “[c]ases are increasingly severe. We’re asking for more support, for more training and for more people on the job.”
The girl’s suicide was a shock to the staff. Several workers are on leave.
“Like elsewhere in society, we’re seeing more and more cases of young people living with mental health problems. We mustn’t give up on them. We have to do everything we can to help them,” Duval concluded.
The union is relieved that the Quebec coroner will be conducting an inquiry into this tragic death.