A clinic of professionals was created in the early ‘70s, in order to meet the medical and social needs of children victims of abuse, especially physical abuse. Then in 1990, the Socio-Legal Paediatric Clinic was established to assist children aged less than 12, who are victims of both physical and sexual violence.
The Socio-Legal Paediatric Clinic offers expertise in order to determine elements which would support any presumption of physical, mental, sexual or developmental abuse.
This mandate is executed by the following activities:
- Assessment of the child’s health and developmental needs;
- Identification of clinical indicators of physical and sexual abuse;
- Participation in establishing leading to a compromising diagnosis;
- Identification of additional and treatment evaluation measures to be taken regarding the health and developmental problems identified;
- Facilitating the exchange of information and communication with social, community, judicial and law enforcement entities.
The work of this is interdisciplinary in nature. The team provides specialised services to both hospitalised and walk-in patients, as well as forensic and social expertise following a child’s evaluation and a meeting with his or her parents. The clinic is a complement to, and bears the same social and legal obligations as, organizations such as the Direction de la Protection de la Jeunesse (Youth Protection Directorate), the Police, the Courts and the service for Compensation for Victims of Crime. While the Socio-Legal Paediatric Clinic does not replace the Youth Protection Directorate, it does cooperate with the governmental body.
The Socio-Legal Paediatric Clinic works in partnership with, and provides health services for, the “Centre d’Expertise en Abus Sexuel Marie Vincent (CEASMV)", which operates since 2005 in Montréal. Stemming from a partnership between police, legal, youth protection, health and community organizations, the centre also offers its expertise in the overall evaluation and treatment of children aged less than 12, who have been victims of sexual assault, as well as education and research.
Learn more :
Fondation Marie-Vincent
Marie-Vincent Foundation offers subsidies to programs focusing on the fight against abuse and negligence towards children.
The Canadian Health Network
Information on violence prevention and health in the workplace (click "children", "violence").