{"id":26674,"date":"2024-12-19T07:18:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T12:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/urgences-sociales\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T15:24:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T19:24:07","slug":"social-emergencies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/en\/police\/about-spl\/social-emergencies\/","title":{"rendered":"Responding to social emergencies"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"sticky-section-group aligndefault\"\n>\n   \n<div class=\"sticky-section-main\"\n>\n   \n\n<p class=\"is-style-intro-text\">Did you know that Laval has a unique approach in Quebec to better assist people in distress or experiencing mental health issues? Here\u2019s how the SPL collaborates with specialists to ensure community safety and well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The mission of the social emergency division<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The social emergency division is made up of social work specialists who support police officers. Here are the main benefits of this approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rapid responses to complex and diverse situations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Psychosocial-related police calls shorter and less frequent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In-depth knowledge of the social services network improves follow-ups and service coordination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Intervention with individuals who refuse or do not seek out services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Involvement in complex cases that do not meet the health and social services network\u2019s admission criteria.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Easier application of the <em>Act respecting the protection of persons whose mental state presents a danger to themselves or to others<\/em> (section 8 of Law P-38.001).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When our teams can intervene<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are examples of emergency situations where our teams provide their expertise:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Death (accidental, suicide, homicide)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Disoriented individuals in crisis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Homelessness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Domestic or family violence, abuse<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unsanitary conditions and compulsive hoarding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In non-emergency situations, our teams can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Carry out legal orders related to mental health (temporary custody, treatment orders, Commission d\u2019examen des troubles mentaux hearings).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assess risks related to substance abuse, violence, or suicide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<section class=\"info-tip-box aligndefault\"\n>\n   <div class=\"info-tip-box__decoration\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n   <div class=\"info-tip-box__content\">\n    \n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>What is the social emergency division<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n   <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to contact the social emergency division &nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>450-662-4595<br>Monday to Friday, from 8:15 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the social emergency division &nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The mission of the SPL\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>Our values<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Respect<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In our interactions with the public and our partners, we focus on courtesy, listening, dignity, self-determination, and respect for values, differences, and rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Team spirit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Integrity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We act fairly, honestly, transparently, and impartially. Integrity lets us maintain trust with residents and our partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Professionnalism<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In our interventions, we emphasize rigour, skill development, and the use of best practices. Collaboration is central to all our actions involving the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Accessibility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We ensure that our interventions are rigorous, skill-focused, and based on best practices, and always foster collaboration with residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Our intervention methods<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Crisis intervention&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This immediate, brief, and directive approach aims to stabilize the individual\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Problem-solving approach&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Steps:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Situation assessment: Identify the issue (its meaning for the person, causes, how the person tried to resolve it).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Intervention planning: Define expectations and solutions, clarify available resources and actual help that can be offered.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Action: Implement the intervention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Closure: Conclude the intervention process and evaluate outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Systemic approach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-section-light-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-92b9201d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-section-dark-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a50fa593b43cfe4b2fd668937eb3c29f\">Did you know?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-section-dark-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-section-dark-background-color has-background is-style-default\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Since 1965, the social emergency division has been providing emergency psychosocial interventions to Laval residents.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/POL1-Urgence-social_ligne-du-temps-hr.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about the division\u2019s history<\/a> (in French).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"sticky-section-sidebar\"\n>\n   <div class=\"sticky-section-sidebar__inner\">\n     \n<div class=\"sidebar-cta-wrapper aligndefault\">\n   <div class=\"sidebar-cta\">\n     \n  <div class=\"theme-icon aligndefault theme-icon--colored\">\n    <span class=\"theme-icon__icon icon icon-postes-police\"><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  \n\n\n<p class=\"has-xlarge-font-size\"><strong><strong>Want to report a crime?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Call 911&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n   <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n   <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"parent":26676,"menu_order":28,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-26674","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/en\/author\/mar-longprelaval-ca\/","display_name":"mar.longpre@laval.ca"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 1 year ago","modified":"Updated 7 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on December 19, 2024","modified":"Updated on September 18, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on December 19, 2024 7:18 am","modified":"Updated on September 18, 2025 3:24 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-30 06:31:10","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"translation_priority","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26674"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92415,"href":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26674\/revisions\/92415"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laval.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}