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Collaborer en matière de violence faite aux femmes immigrantes et réfugiées dans une perspective intersectionnelle : récits de pratique

Thérèse Kitène, Aïssétout Koné and Brigitte Demers
Prioritizing the elimination of violence against women is a societal choice and requires the collaboration of community authorities and expertise. Accompanying immigrants and refugees’ women calls for an approach based on intersectionality. Applying this approach is not without its challenges. This research aims to explore and better understand the place of intersectionality in collaborative practices concerning violence against women from the perspective of immigrant women social workers. A feminist qualitative methodology was used. Result reveals that racialized women are under-represented, power structures persist, the intersectionality paradigm remains generally unknown in intervention, and structural obstacles hinder its application. To this end, concrete actions are proposed, and the twofold challenge, both structural and identity-related, is discussed. The article highlights the lessons learned and the challenges faced by visible minorities navigating within groups composed almost entirely of people from the dominant culture.

Les apports de l’intervention de groupe auprès d’hommes ayant subi des abus sexuels durant l’enfance

Jean-Martin Deslauriers, Mathilde Charest-Trudel and Natacha Godbout
This study documented the perceptions of men survivor of childhood sexual abuse on services they received in specialized resources in Quebec. Thematic content analyzes were performed based on interviews with ten men who used specialized services for male victim, after their participation. The analyze of their testimonies indicated that their experience of group work was deemed positive into their helpseeking journeys, notably through the relationships they built within the group and the positive outcomes they reported in various area of their lives. Moreover, the participants generally reported a high level of satisfaction regarding the services they received. An integrated model that allows to combine a model focused on mutual aid with a trauma and gender sensitive approach appears as a promising modality for treating men who were sexually abused during childhood.

Les proches des personnes détenues : analyse de leurs besoins en ressources et services du point de vue du travail social

Catherine Devost and Elsa Euvrard
Prisoners’ loved ones experience a variety of incarceration-related difficulties in terms of stigmatisation, interpersonal relationships, finances and physical and mental health. These difficulties give rise to support needs. However, there are only a very limited number of community services available to meet these needs, so they persist. Their different needs will therefore be documented in this article, from the perspective of a critical epistemological stance, anchored in theories of social exclusion. Fifteen loved ones of men who are incarcerated in Quebec, either in a penitentiary or a prison, were questioned in semi-directed interviews about their experiences and needs. These included the existence of and access to resources, targeted, accurate and consistent information, individual and group support services, and the creation of financial assistance programs. The interviews also revealed a number of possible ways to improve the lives of loved ones. One of these is the presence of a professional who would act as a resource person who’s reaching out to loved ones to give them information and to refer them to community services according to their particular situation.

Approche différentielle en protection de la jeunesse auprès de familles des minorités ethnoculturelles : forces et limites de l’intervention

Chantal Lavergne, Héloïse Pelletier Gagnon, Sarah Dufour, Rosita Vargas Diaz and Marie-Joëlle Robichaud
This article presents the results of a study on collaboration with ethnocultural minority (ECM) families within the framework of the differential response (DR) approach to child protection. The study examines the effects of this collaboration on the decision-making trajectory for children and the recurrence of referrals. The qualitative methodology is based on group interviews with 12 youth protection workers, while the quantitative methodology draws on clinicoadministrative data from two cohorts of children who were the subject of a DR between 2013 and 2019. Qualitative findings reveal that practitioners consider the DR to be an effective means of establishing a relationship of trust with ECM families, taking into account their specific needs and responding with empathy to their concerns about government intervention. They emphasize the importance of a DR, aimed at reducing prejudice and better understanding the unique challenges faced by these families. However, obstacles remain, including difficulties in accessing community services, thus limiting the effectiveness of the intervention for ECM families. The quantitative findings corroborate these findings: despite positive short-term collaboration, many children, including those from ECMs, re-enter the system after their files have been closed or when their referral is not retained. The main conclusion of the study highlights the importance of improving access to preventive services adapted to families, particularly those from ECMs, and of ensuring better collaboration between all partners to avoid future interventions by youth protective services.

Pauvreté et exclusion sociale en Abitibi-Témiscamingue : réflexions pour la pratique du travail social dans une « région ressource »

Laurie Paquin, Carol Castro and Hugo Asselin
Poverty and social exclusion interact to affect individuals and communities in various aspects of their lives, beyond the economic components. Poverty and social exclusion stem from unequitable distribution of resources in terms of wealth, knowledge, and civic power. A “resource region” such as Abitibi-Témiscamingue is affected differently from major urban centers due to its economy being largely reliant on the exploitation of natural resources, which exacerbates social issues as well as the social and political exclusion caused by these industries. Furthermore, access to public and community services represents a specific challenge across the vast territory of the region. To better grasp the challenges faced by individuals experiencing poverty or social exclusion, and to suggest avenues for improving social work interventions and social policies, three focus groups and 19 individual interviews were conducted in all five sectors of Abitibi- Témiscamingue. In total, 41 self-experts shared their experiences on struggling with poverty or social exclusion. An intersectional perspective, combined with an ecosystemic analysis, brought light on how different forms of discrimination interact to affect the life trajectories of individuals experiencing poverty and social exclusion. This research also provides a better understanding of how the region’s economy, access to public services, institutions and social policies characterize poverty and social exclusion. Suggestions are made to improve social work practices in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and, by extension, in other “resource regions”.

Conditions de travail, « exode », perte d’expertise : comment reconstruire le cercle vertueux en protection de la jeunesse?

Mylène Barbe, Aline Bogossian and Mélanie Bourque
Social programs addressing youth services in Quebec include community services, specialized mental health and rehabilitation services, and youth protection services. As part of a doctoral research, the question of the effects of the transformations of the health and social services network on social work with families was studied. Informed by pragmatic sociology in continuity with the theoretical model of economies of magnitude developed by Boltanski and Thévenot (1991), the thesis examines social workers’ interpretation and criticisms of new policies and their implementation in their daily practice, as well as the strategies by which they adjust their approaches to conform to organizational changes while meeting the needs of families. The purpose of this article is to discuss the results of this research from the specific perspective of social workers who work in youth protection services. Of the twenty-two social workers who make up the thesis sample, seven of them work in youth protection services. As part of a qualitative methodology with an interpretive purpose, the analysis of these seven individual interviews sought to understand the effects of the reforms and changes introduced within the health and social services network on their youth protection practice. The results show a deterioration in the conditions of practice, explaining the phenomenon of employee exodus in this sector. This exodus inevitably leads to a loss of expertise within the services which compromises the quality of services offered to families. In addition, the mission of youth protection is compromised in the current context. The analysis of the stories collected highlights the strategies and criticisms of social workers seeking to transform social action.

Apports d’une base de données intégrée à la prise en charge intersectorielle des enfants victimes de maltraitance : analyse des trajectoires sociojudiciaires selon la nature des gestes et l’âge des enfants

Roxane Bélanger, Annick St-Amand, Danielle Nadeau, Ingrid Pruneau, Stéphanie Chouinard-Thivierge and Rosalie Parent
Caring for child victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse or serious neglect requires interdisciplinary collaboration between the psychosocial, medical, police, justice and community sectors. Based on the Child and Youth Advocacy Centres model, the Services Intégrés en Abus et Maltraitance (SIAM) in the Quebec City and Chaudière- Appalaches regions provide children, adolescents and their families with intersectoral clinical assessment, investigation, treatment, support and advocacy services under one roof. Based on a cohort of 1616 situations of children (under 18 years old) reported to SIAM, this exploratory study aims to 1) describe the characteristics of these situations (e.g., child’s gender and age, relationship between the child and the alleged perpetrator(s)) based on the reported maltreatment type and 2) describe the characteristics of the service trajectories observed in these situations (e.g., police investigation outcome, legal process outcome and psychosocial support services) and the way in which they differ depending on the reported maltreatment type and the age of the child. The results show that the characteristics of the situations and the multidisciplinary team response vary according to the reported maltreatment type. For example, sexual abuse is the subject of criminal charges and psychosocial support services in greater proportions than physical abuse and serious neglect. For the latter two types of reported maltreatment, which involve a higher proportion of alleged intrafamilial perpetrators, psychosocial intervention is favoured over police intervention. The age of the children mainly influences the prioritization, with situations involving younger children being treated more diligently. In terms of impact, the integration of information related to multiple sectoral service mandates within an intersectoral database makes it possible to inform and involve all partners in improving practices and multidisciplinary services for children and their families.

Programme de formation et d’accompagnement pour les parents de jeunes enfants ayant un retard global de développement ou une déficience intellectuelle : perspectives des parents

Myriam Rousseau, Suzie Mckinnon, Angélique Blier and Jacinthe Bourassa
This article explores the perspectives of parents with children under 8 years old who have a global developmental delay (GDA) or intellectual disability (DI), through their participation in a training and support program designed to improve their well-being, their sense of competence, and the social participation of their child. The program includes group meetings, one-on-one meetings and asynchronous content, with themes such as child development, intervention strategies and social inclusion. The methodology is based on a qualitative descriptive specification, using semi-structured interviews to collect parental perceptions (n = 16). The analysis of data, based on the method of Bardin (2013), revealed three main axes: parents’ satisfaction, perceived contributions and barriers/levers to participation. The results show high satisfaction of parents, linked to exchanges with other participants and concrete learning facilitating their daily lives. Parents noted an improvement in their sense of competence and attitude to parental stress. However, some mentioned barriers such as lack of availability, content that was sometimes considered irrelevant or the length of sessions. This study evaluated a training and support program for Quebec parents of children with DGR or ID. Although these parents have an increased need for training and support, few suitable programs are available. The experiment has made it possible to identify areas for improvement to encourage their participation and improve their experience of this type of programme.

« Savoir-dire » une crise en travail social : mise en scène de l’expertise d’intervenants et intervenantes en travail social dans leur prise de parole médiatique

Mélissa Roy, Jeanne Kural Chastenay and Nikolas Parent-Poisson
The sociology of expertise has shown us that the recognition of expert status relies on claim-making practices, through which individuals attempt to convince others of their credibility. However, the recognition of the expertise of social work practitioners may be hindered by a turbulent relationship with theory and by challenges of “knowing how to speak.” Inspired by writings on pragmatic theorization and on the sociology of the implicit, this research is interested in the pragmatic analysis of social issues by social work practitioners, the knowledge they use to make sense of social problems, and the discursive strategies they employ to assert their expertise. More specifically, this research adopts Hilgartner’s interactionist perspective to analyze the media statements of social work practitioners when they comment on social issues they describe as “crises,” focusing on the argumentative strategies they use to “stage” their expertise. The findings reveal four forms of knowledge (organizational, proximity, external data, and subjective/citizen) that inform three narratives on social crises: an organizational narrative, a narrative of social ties and a structural narrative. These narratives are communicated and defended through three types of strategies: 1) communicating a professional stance and generalizing one’s perspective; 2) asserting a truth and factual statements; and 3) persuading the public of inacceptability and engaging the public. These findings show the production of an expertise on one’s own practice, and the use of a self-directed perspective and of a defensive argumentation. This research informs us on the self-conceptualization of social intervention and suggests avenues for research to better understand the “threat” in response to which a defensive staging of expertise is deployed.

Les particularités de l’intervention familiale lorsque les parents sont séparés : l’expérience des travailleuses sociales oeuvrant en santé mentale jeunesse

Amélie Chabot and Marie-Christine Saint-Jacques
Social work with families has developed and occupies an important place in mental health care contexts, particularly in services for youth clientele where parents are essentials to work with (Beauvolsk, 2001; Mimeault, 2016; Morin and St-Onge, 2019). Among these developments, practice has had to adjust to the specificities of parental separation, a phenomenon that concerns a large proportion of families in Québec (Desrosiers & Tétreault, 2018). The aim of this article is to document the particularities of the intervention and professional experience of 11 social workers (SWs) who work or have worked with families in a youth mental health context. As family intervention is based on systemic theories, the qualitative approach of this research enables us to examine the family system that occurs in parental separation and to understand the implications for practice. The main issues raised by the SWs are the difficulty of involving both parents, the predominance of maternal involvement, the clinical heaviness of certain co-parental contexts, and the different professional and ethical approaches to be considered when dealing with separated parents.