The Direction de la protection de la jeunesse (DPJ), Quebec’s youth protection service, in Estrie, Que. was placed under trusteeship on Thursday, after another serious case of neglecting children who waited months before their files were evaluated.
Health and Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant called for the move.
The minister reacted to a case reported by La Presse on Thursday, said his spokesperson, Camille Lambert-Chan.
This reported case showed serious negligence: four brothers and sisters in Granby had to wait five months before youth services evaluated their file while they lived in unsanitary conditions, soiled by the feces of 12 dogs.
The children are reportedly dirty, not dressed adequately for the weather and are not consistently fed. This was the family’s fifth report.
This most recent report was made in February 2019, but the case was not assigned to a worker until July, and the assessment was done in August.
Justice Pascale Berardino blamed the region’s youth protection system, saying that the “children’s rights have been violated.”