Mécanismes d’accès jeunesse en toxicomanie (MAJT), an integrated services network for youth with substance abuse problems, has been viewed as an innovative practice since its introduction in 1999-2000.
At that time MAJT met a real need for a centralized application processing system to quickly and simply direct youth with addictions toward the services best suited to their needs.
A quantitative and qualitative analysis led to the development of 27 potential courses of action.
A decade after the program’s launch, this research project sought to document the favourable and unfavourable conditions for the establishment of such centralized networks and to evaluate their effectiveness.
Telephone interviews with representatives of drug rehabilitation centres (DRC) allowed us to draw a portrait of MAJT’s operations in each of the sixteen socio-geographic regions. Interviews were then conducted in six regions of Québec with 188 participants from referring establishments (CSSS, youth protection centres, schools, community organizations), DRCs, MAJT users and their parents, live-in resources, and the health and social services agency.
A quantitative and qualitative analysis led to the development of 27 potential courses of action relating to the many aspects of MAJT. Some of the most important recommendations include:
• continuing/increasing detection/short-term intervention/referral activities for youth;
• ongoing training by DRCs for their referring partners;
• designated staff member(s) to deal with addiction issues within referring establishments;
• the establishment of intra- or inter- establishment agreement protocols clarifying the timing, strategies and roles of each when it comes to referral and intervention and specifying the modes, timing and content of inter-partner communication;
• the presence of DRC workers within referring establishments, specifically schools and youth protection centres.
Main researcher
Joël Tremblay, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Deposit of the research report: May 2014