Responding to social emergencies

Did you know that Laval has a unique approach in Quebec to better assist people in distress or experiencing mental health issues? Here’s how the SPL collaborates with specialists to ensure community safety and well-being.

The mission of the social emergency division

The social emergency division is made up of social work specialists who support police officers. Here are the main benefits of this approach:

• Rapid responses to complex and diverse situations.
• Psychosocial-related police calls shorter and less frequent.
• In-depth knowledge of the social services network improves follow-ups and service coordination.
• Intervention with individuals who refuse or do not seek out services.
• Involvement in complex cases that do not meet the health and social services network’s admission criteria.
• Easier application of the Act respecting the protection of persons whose mental state presents a danger to themselves or to others (section 8 of Law P-38.001).

When our teams can intervene

Here are examples of emergency situations where our teams provide their expertise:

• Death (accidental, suicide, homicide)
• Disoriented individuals in crisis
• Homelessness
• Domestic or family violence, abuse
• Unsanitary conditions and compulsive hoarding

In non-emergency situations, our teams can:

• Carry out legal orders related to mental health (temporary custody, treatment orders, Commission d’examen des troubles mentaux hearings).
• Assess risks related to substance abuse, violence, or suicide.

What is the social emergency division

Teams of social work specialists who can respond to 911 calls. The division carries out social intervention patrols five days a week, from 9 a.m. to midnight.

How to contact the social emergency division  

450-662-4595
Monday to Friday, from 8:15 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

About the social emergency division  

The mission of the SPL’s social emergency division is to provide emergency psychosocial interventions to Laval residents. These community-based interventions reflect human rights principles and the importance of partnership relations. They are grounded in social work concepts.

Our values

Respect 

In our interactions with the public and our partners, we focus on courtesy, listening, dignity, self-determination, and respect for values, differences, and rights.

Team spirit

We work closely with internal and external partners, always centring the person in our interventions. Collaboration lets us provide the best possible services. Team spirit is the foundation of the social emergency division.

Integrity

We act fairly, honestly, transparently, and impartially. Integrity lets us maintain trust with residents and our partners.

Professionnalism 

In our interventions, we emphasize rigour, skill development, and the use of best practices. Collaboration is central to all our actions involving the public.

Accessibility

We ensure that our interventions are rigorous, skill-focused, and based on best practices, and always foster collaboration with residents.

Our intervention methods

Crisis intervention 

This immediate, brief, and directive approach aims to stabilize the individual’s condition or environment during a crisis. It includes assessing the situation, estimating risks (danger level, suicide risk, mental deterioration), de-escalation, support, teaching coping strategies, and referring individuals to the most appropriate services.

Problem-solving approach 

This approach focuses on knowledge and control over the response process. The goal is to focus on a concrete issue and find short-term solutions. The social work specialists draw on their own personal style and their know-how. Instead of exploring societal or psychological causes, this approach equips individuals with problem-solving skills. 

Steps: 

• Situation assessment: Identify the issue (its meaning for the person, causes, how the person tried to resolve it).
• Intervention planning: Define expectations and solutions, clarify available resources and actual help that can be offered.
• Action: Implement the intervention.
• Closure: Conclude the intervention process and evaluate outcomes.

Systemic approach

This approach stands out because it understands human relationships as being influenced by a larger system (family, work, social environment). People depend on each other and their dialogue is based on implicit rules of communication that are most often unconscious. A person’s difficulties sometimes stem from suffering that may be experienced by an entire system. This is why the systemic approach takes into account communication and interactions between individuals.