Children of War: Quebec’s Social Policy Response to Children and Their Families

Abstract

Canada has signed the Optional Protocol of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict that obligates signatories to ensure assistance and support to war-affected children's physical and psychological recovery as well as their social reintegration. In light of this obligation, the paper reviews the most recent policies related to immigrants and refugees of four Quebec (Canada) ministries, with particular attention to the frameworks underpinning these policies and practices in order to explore how the needs of refugee children are conceptualised and how these same conceptualisations orient the action plans. Miller and Rasmussen's (2010) psychosocial/trauma integrative model is used as a benchmark to assess whether and how policies integrate considerations from both psychosocial and trauma focused conceptual models. The analysis suggests that all four ministries adopt a psychosocial focus but that none directly mention the impact of war, potential trauma or pre-migratory experiences on children's reintegration or resettlement. There seems to be a divide and a lack of coherence in the goals and underlying philosophies of the action plans of the different ministries, most likely in part related to their differences in mandate. Indeed, the Ministry of Health and Social Services emphasizes individual and family wellbeing, while the Ministry of Education prioritizes citizenship and the development of Quebec. Potential implications of these policy orientations for children having been exposed to war living in the Quebec context are discussed.

Addressing Marginality and Exclusion: The Resettlement Experiences of War-Affected Young People in Quebec, Canada

“…The accord was negotiated in order to ensure the promotion of the French language and the uniqueness of Quebec’s cultural identity. It also set Quebec apart from Canada by its use of an intercultural model rather than a multicultural model within the policy [18].…”

Child Temperament as a Predictor of Parents' Potential for Emotional Abuse

“…This situation leads to the conclusion that the child's temperament can prompt the parent to exhibit negative attitudes and behaviors toward the child. The child's difficult temperament is stated as an essential risk factor in terms of neglect and abuse (Fraser and Jenson, 2006; Polat, 2019). Children with a difficult temperament withdraw when faced with new things, adapt slowly, have overreactions, and have negative moods.…”