This is what Julio Mérisier is still wondering today, who still speaks with difficulty of the events of January 22.
While frequenting the CPE three small points, in the Masson-Angers sector, her four-year-old girl managed to leave the midfielder in the middle of winter, without anyone noticing.
“She was under the absolute protection of managers of the daycare, she was able from the first floor to go down to the ground floor, put a snow habit, walk on this street generally used by drivers, without anyone from the CPE seeing her,” said Mr. Mérisier, when he told his story Right.
A neighbor
It was a neighbor who saw the little girl in front of the field of the family residence, located about five to ten minutes’ walk from the CPE, who phoned the police.
“Imagine yourself: you are a parent, you drop your little girl in the childcare service at 8 a.m., and you receive a police call who tells you that they have found your child who was lost,” he explains, still incredulous.
According to the event report written by the management of the CPE, the little girl would have left the rank of her group during a trip to the corridor, around 10:55 am.
The educator making the count of her children in the minutes following the trip would have quickly alerted his colleagues that one of them was missing.
“The child is not found and the management is immediately informed,” read the report, that The right was able to consult.
Research
When a staff member realized that the child’s snow habit and his boots were not in their place, an educator left for him by car.
The management contacted the authorities, but at the same time, the establishment received a call from the police service in the city of Gatineau (SPVG) indicating that a neighbor had seen the child near the family residence, it is written.
According to the CPE report, it has sold about fifteen minutes between the observation of the child’s disappearance and the call of the SPVG indicating that it had been found.
The little girl was not injured and she was doing well. She was subsequently brought back to the CPE.
Contacted by The right To confirm the thread of events, the SPVG confirmed that it intervened, on January 22, for “a call in connection with a child who would have left the daycare”. The police force was unable to comment on the file more given the lack of criminal charges in this case.
“Safety breakdown”?
Mr. Mérisier indicates that at the time of the incident, a chip was necessary to access inside the building of the CPE three small points, but that to go out, it was simply necessary to “push the bar of the door”, he describes.
Convinced that the CPE has shown what he describes as “security breakdown”, he filed a complaint with the Ministry of the Family after the incident. “It is a major security break that could have endangered not only [ma fille]but all the other children, ”he insists.
The ministry confirmed that it had opened an investigation following the complaint received, and since completing its part of the investigation.
The CPE has, in the meantime, set up new safety measures in order to prevent a similar situation from happening again, including a door locking system and a sound system at the doors accessible to children, confirmed the Ministry of the Family.
The right Speed up with the management of the CPE, which had initially readily accepted an interview in its premises in order to discuss the incident. However, the establishment indicated, after consultation with its association, no longer being able to grant an interview on the subject “so as not to harm the smooth running of the investigation and out of respect for the privacy of the minor concerned as well as his family”.
“Our corporation attaches the utmost importance to the health and safety of children who frequent our establishment,” said the establishment’s management in a written declaration. “We are implementing all the means necessary to achieve this and are involved in a continuous improvement approach, in order to ensure a safe and benevolent environment for toddlers-which remains our absolute priority.”
Reporting?
The laws and regulations on educational childcare services in Quebec in particular require that child care services ensure control of access to their facilities and that they ensure adequate surveillance of children under their responsibility.
Even if the CPE claims that its staff acted quickly during events, the administration could face consequences.
“The file will be submitted to the director of criminal and criminal proceedings [DPCP] For analysis. “
— Family ministry
The DPCP stresses, however, that the information concerning a file “becomes public when submitting a criminal accusation or the service of a report of offense”. The organization has therefore not been able to provide more details on this subject for the moment.
“Reprisals”
Following the filing of the complaint with the Ministry of the Family, Mr. Mérisier is, moreover, convinced that he had been the target of “reprisals”.
According to him, his efforts would not have liked the management, since he received, last May, a letter announcing the breakage of his contract with the CPE three small points. The agreement ended on August 8.
«[Le bris du contrat] In particular on the lack of recurring collaboration, mainly on the part of Mr. Mérisier, with regard to well-established requests, rules and instructions to the CPE, despite the many interventions and reminders made by the team, “said however in the missive consulted by the Right. “The CPE reserves the right to end the agreement […] In the event of breaches of the obligation of collaboration, in accordance with its internal procedure. ”
“My family has had contracts with this institution for several years without [s’être fait] Report a lack of collaboration, ”replies Mr. Merisier.
In the email sent to Rightthe management of the CPE is however categorical: the rules of the internal management were previously accepted by the parents during the registration of their child.
“When a CPE considers that a non-renewal is necessary, the management normally presents a documented file with supporting documents to the board of directors,” it is explained. The latter examines the situation and adopts a resolution to decide whether or not to renew the agreement. ”
The decision of the non-renewal of an agreement therefore does not fall under a direct decision of management, as argued by Mérisier. This is a decision which falls under the board of directors of a CPE made up of seven to nine members, depending on the type of establishment, the majority of which are parents user of the services.
