Those who work with young people are concerned about plans to cut $20 million from youth centres.
The cuts are part of the Quebec government's strategy to reach a zero deficit, but it comes a time when youth protection workers say they're already overwhelmed.
Over the past five years, youth protection workers say they have been seen huge increases in the number of teenagers they help -- up 17.3 per cent since 2010.
Most of the young people are in the regions.
“There's a lot of social distress, a lot of issues with mental health on the parents’ side, substance abuse, domestic violence, which create conditions for parents to be preoccupied and maybe not so available to their children,” explained Madeleine Berard of Batshaw Youth Centres.
Family Minister Francine Charbonneau insists she has no plans to cut back on services to youth in difficulty, but workers say they do not believe it.
With news the province wants to cut $20 million from youth protection, some who work in the field are concerned it will have a huge impact.
“Between 2010 and 2013 there was already around $11 million in cuts alone in the Montreal youth centre,” said Sylvie Theoret, president of the Youth Centre Employees Union.
Theoret said those cuts resulted in the loss of 150 jobs, which means now youth workers are so busy that one in three new hires ends up quitting before they've spent even one year on the job. That means youth protection workers treat fewer young people.
“That means their wounds go deeper. Their depression and anxiety gets worse,” said Line Beaulieu of the CSN union.
“Research is clear,” added Berard. “If you don't give good interventional services to children, it will cost you in the short and long-term. The children of today are tomorrow’s citizens and if you don't take care of them today to make sure their health is good, to make sure their development is on par, they will become a cost to society in terms of the employability, criminality and mental illness.”
