A first in Quebec - 9th International Looking After Children Conference

MONTREAL, Oct. 27 /CNW Telbec/ - The biennal conference of the Association des centres jeunesse du Québec (ACJQ) took place from October 25^th to 27^th in Montreal. The 9^th International Looking After Children (LAC) Conference was presented on October 27^th. The day, entirely dedicated to the LAC approach, allowed participants to depeen their knowledge on this follow-up approach in care.

Being associated to this Conference was important to ACJQ since the organisation has been implementing the approach in youth centres for the past 10 years and is expecting to finalize the process by 2012. Workshops given by experts from many countries allowed youth centres' staff and multiple partners to discover the benefits related to this approach.

Description of the Approach
The LAC approach began in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s. It is the only known standardized follow-up approach for children in care and is recognized as providing the most comprehensive support for workers and foster families.

In various countries, including Quebec, this approach now influences how support to all children in need is designed. LAC is used for all youths - 0 to 18 years old - under the Youth Protection Act and in foster care. Children and youths in protective care have multiple developmental needs and they are in dependent for their optimal development on the adult around them. Responding to children's need is a collective responsibility, and to achieve this, we must support a continuum of intervention in which every organization or practitioner can play a role according to their specificities. This approach perfectly illustrates that the more we invest in children and youths, the greater the chances that their full development will make them into participating citizens and future parents more committed to their own children.

L'Association des centres jeunesse du Québec strongly believes this unique Conference will greatly benefit all youth centres.

For further information:

Source:	Association des centres jeunesse du Québec
Information:	Judith Laurier 514-842-5181, local 311 or cellular phone [phone]