Quebec Domestic Violence Coordination Framework

DV partnership and provincial coordination guidelines for organizations across Quebec.

Quebec Inter-Agency Coordination Overview

1. Context: Francophone DV Service Structure

Quebec’s domestic and family violence response system operates primarily in French, with province-wide policy direction framed through Quebec’s civil law tradition and social services model. This creates distinct coordination requirements for cross-provincial partners and national networks.

Most services interface with the health and social services system (réseau de la santé et des services sociaux), regional service centres (CISSS/CIUSSS), and specialized community organizations (organismes communautaires). Bilingual or multilingual services tend to be concentrated in urban centres, especially Montreal and Gatineau.

2. Key Provincial Networks and Structures

Provincial-level coordination typically involves a mix of governmental, para-public, and community-based networks. Common elements include:

• Provincial policy frameworks for violence prevention and response, integrated within social services planning.
• Ministry-led tables linking justice, public security, health and social services, and women’s equality portfolios.
• Community coalitions that aggregate local shelters, counselling services, legal information initiatives, and specialized organizations.
• Cross-system protocols involving police services, Director of Youth Protection (DPJ), and hospital-based teams.

Organizations from other provinces collaborating with Quebec partners generally align with:

• Francophone service and documentation standards (forms, tools, and training materials).
• Quebec-specific terminology and categories used by health and social services for intake, referral, and reporting.
• Provincial funding and accountability structures that differ from other jurisdictions.

3. Coordination with Francophone Services

When designing interprovincial partnerships that include Quebec, agencies often:

• Develop French-first documentation and then adapt for other languages, to preserve policy precision.
• Use bilingual coordination roles for cross-border projects to ensure compatibility with Quebec documentation and meeting practices.
• Align data categories and terminology (e.g., violence conjugale, violence familiale) to reduce misinterpretation in shared datasets or regional reports.
• Adapt training curricula to Quebec’s professional orders and accreditation systems where relevant.

4. Montreal vs. Regional Considerations

4.1 Montreal Metropolitan Area

Montreal’s ecosystem is characterized by high organizational density, multilingual service options, and multiple overlapping coordination tables. When designing partnerships that involve Montreal-based agencies, common operational features include:

• Specialized services for diverse communities, including migrant, LGBTQ2S+, and racialized populations.
• Established relationships with multiple police services, municipal authorities, and hospital centres.
• High demand for formal protocols to manage referrals between numerous local organizations.
• More extensive access to research institutions and evaluation resources via universities and centres of expertise.

Cross-agency projects in Montreal often require:

• Clear criteria to identify the appropriate lead organization for each initiative.
• Structured coordination tables to limit duplication between specialized services.
• Data-sharing agreements that recognize the complexity of multi-partner arrangements and high client mobility.

4.2 Regional and Rural Quebec

Outside Montreal and other major centres, organizations typically operate across large geographic areas with smaller teams. Coordination models tend to emphasize:

• Multi-role agencies providing shelter, outreach, accompaniment, and community liaison under one governance structure.
• Stronger reliance on regional health and social services institutions (CISSS/CIUSSS) for cross-sector coordination.
• Limited specialized services, requiring careful planning for referrals to urban centres for specific legal, medical, or counselling resources.
• More informal coordination practices in some areas due to smaller networks and long-standing relationships among providers.

When designing province-wide initiatives, it is useful to:

• Ensure representation from multiple regions, not only Montreal and Quebec City.
• Account for travel distances, weather-related access issues, and technology constraints when scheduling meetings, training, and joint activities.
• Provide flexible implementation timelines that reflect staffing capacity in small organizations.

5. Indigenous and Northern Community Factors

5.1 Governance and Jurisdictional Interfaces

Indigenous and northern communities in Quebec operate within distinct governance structures, including First Nations communities, Inuit regions, and northern villages under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement and related arrangements. Coordination typically considers:

• Local band or community councils and regional Indigenous authorities.
• Agreements between provincial services, federal systems, and Indigenous-led service organizations.
• Different policing and justice arrangements, including Indigenous police services and circuit courts.

External partners often establish:

• Separate consultation and decision-making processes for Indigenous-led entities.
• Tailored data-sharing agreements that recognize community data governance preferences.
• Protocols that clarify how referrals interface with both provincial networks and Indigenous services.

5.2 Northern and Remote Operational Realities

Northern and remote communities in Quebec face specific conditions that shape domestic and family violence coordination:

• Limited local services and high travel costs for in-person interventions.
• Heavy reliance on air travel, seasonal road access, and telecommunication infrastructure.
• Smaller teams who may cover multiple roles across social services, health, and community safety.
• Distinct language needs, including Inuktitut and Indigenous languages alongside French and English.

For inter-agency partnerships, this often translates into:

• Blended service delivery models combining local presence with remote or visiting specialists.
• Adapted training and supervision structures that can be delivered remotely and asynchronously.
• Specific clauses in MOUs addressing travel logistics, contingency planning, and communication protocols during service disruptions.

6. Provincial Agency Network Integration

Alignment with Quebec’s provincial structures typically involves:

• Identifying the relevant regional health and social services authority and its DV-related committees.
• Mapping local community organizations, shelters, and legal information providers within each region.
• Clarifying roles for schools, community justice programs, and municipal partners in coordinated responses.
• Ensuring that any national tools or templates are available in French and adapted to Quebec’s policy vocabulary.

For multi-agency agreements that include Quebec-based partners, common elements are:

• Designation of a provincial or regional coordination contact for cross-border projects.
• Explicit recognition of Quebec’s service pathways and referral patterns in joint protocols.
• Inclusion of region-specific annexes detailing local partners, languages of service, and communication norms.

Additional coordination resources, including examples of inter-jurisdictional frameworks and referral models, are available through the broader ecosystem hosted at DV.Support.

Recommended Articles

• Coalition Frameworks for Cross-Regional Coordination
• Partnership Eligibility and Participation Criteria
• Data Governance Models for Multi-Agency Networks
• Coordination Models for Rural and Remote Regions
• Structuring Partnerships with Indigenous-Led Services