Educational Services at Detention and Rehabilitation Centres

Educational Services at Detention and Rehabilitation Centres

Important progress has been made in partnership with regional organizations to ensure continuity in educational services for children under the age of 18 that are under the care of the Youth Protection Department, in detention or at rehabilitation facilities.

TUNU NAPARTUK Director of Complementary and Compassionate Services
Educational Services at Detention and Rehabilitation Centres

Children under the care of the Youth Protection Department

In Nunavik, a significant number of children are under the care of Youth Protection, both within and outside the Nunavik territory.

An impact on students’ well-being and academic success

In this context, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq continues to work with Nunavik organizations and the governments of Quebec and Canada on approaches and solutions that are in the best interest of students.

In 2010, the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse reported that 30% of children in Nunavik are the subject of a report to the Department of Youth Protection (DYP).

When testifying before the Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous peoples and certain public services (Viens Commission) in 2018, the co-directors of the Nunavik DYP also confirmed that one child out of three will come in contact with child protection services at some point in his or her life.

In October 2020, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the NRBHSS, the Ungava Tulattavik Health Centre and the Inuulitsivik Health Centre.

The MOU represents a significant breakthrough.

It was developed around the shared objective of providing support services to children in a way that would maximize the complementarity and efficiency of services offered by KI, Inuulitsivik and Tulattavik for children placed under the care of Youth Protection Services within Nunavik. The MOU will ensure that a proper line of communication is established between these partners in order to facilitate support for the child and family in need.

Kativik Ilisarniliriniq has jurisdiction to administer education services north of the 55th parallel in Quebec. We have no jurisdiction in regions outside Nunavik.

Consequently, any external service organization that brings a child outside of the region is responsible for registering students with southern school boards. These students will continue their education in the second language that corresponds to their current schooling.

While attending school outside of Nunavik, these students will have access to the Kativik Ilisarniliriniq tutoring program, which is available to all Inuit beneficiaries residing outside the territory.

Students at rehabilitation centres in Nunavik

A number of initiatives aim to ensure the continuity of educational services for youths and adults who are temporarily unable to attend school.

We aim to support the long-term recovery and healing of individuals struggling with addiction by hiring teachers to work at:

  • Qulliq Rehabilitation Centre in Inukjuak
  • Sapummivik Rehabilitation Centre in Salluit.

Kativik Ilisarniliriniq continues to work with its regional partners to implement solutions aiming to ensure the continuity of educational services for youths and adults at rehabilitation facilities on the Nunavik territory.

Adults at detention centres outside Nunavik

Over the past years, an educational service offer has been explored in collaboration with the Ministère de la Sécurité publique of Quebec and Correctional Service Canada, for detention facilities where inmates from Nunavik are detained.

The educational services offer varies over time. Over the past years, Nunavik inmates have had access to:

  • General education
  • Parenting workshops
  • Cultural workshops (starting in 2021–2022)
  • Vocational trainings (starting in 2021–2022)
  • Short-term trainings offered by the AEVT continuing education services

The majority of the Nunavik inmates are detained at facilities in Saint-Jérôme, Amos, and Laval. Through its Adult Education and Vocational Training (AEVT) department, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq has a long history of collaboration with the detention centre in Saint‑Jérôme, and more recently in Amos.