[Management and prevention of abuse in Quebec: a program of sociolegal pediatrics at the Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal]. / Prise en charge et prévention de la maltraitance au Québec: programme de pédiatrie sociojuridique de l'hôpital Sainte-Justine à Montréal.

In Quebec, the Child's Protection law protects the child from birth until 18 years of age when child abuse or neglect is suspected. Since 1990, the program of the Child Protection Clinic of Sainte-Justine Hospital (Montreal) offers a special unit for evaluation and prevention of child abuse and neglect, constituted by a multidisciplinary team including five pediatricians. About 500 children are referred each year in external consultations or from hospital units. In addition, the pediatricians participate in the "programme Santé-Enfance-Jeunesse", a prevention program in the Montreal area. They also act as expert witnesses in court. Thus Quebec's pediatricians fully participate in a child's protection with their activities in different levels of diagnosis, management and prevention of child abuse and neglect.