Last December, the Minister for Health and Social Services introduced Bill 15, An Act to amend the Youth Protection Act (YPA). This initiative stems from the work of various committees put in place by the government to enhance services for children.

Marie-Vincent was invited to take part in the special consultations for Bill 15 on February 10 and to submit a brief. Executive Director Stéphanie Gareau and Director of Clinical Services Sonia Dionne represented Marie-Vincent during these consultations.

Marie-Vincent is extremely proud of having been involved in the government’s examination of this youth protection Bill; we introduced our model of support centres for children and young people, and highlighted how important it is to foster easier collaboration among partners so as to benefit our children.

Our brief includes two key recommendations:

  • Facilitate communication among partners so as to serve the best interests of children.
  • Allow one parent to give consent for the care of a child in youth protection cases, particularly when sexual violence is involved.

Our goal is to help parliamentarians better understand that once Bill 15 has been adopted, it must give organizations like Marie-Vincent the necessary means to carry out their work. It must facilitate communication and cooperation among all partners so we can help the children who need us.

This great opportunity allowed us to promote and showcase our mission as well as our consultation model and to take an active part in discussions on youth protection in our society.

Our brief is now available on the National Assembly website. To learn more, simply click on the link below:

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:977bb439-7bd6-39b0-b2fc-5bd1548c5d5d

(In French only)