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Working at the DPJ: job titles, pay and the Act

Working at the DPJ: what the Youth Protection Act provides, the network job titles and their pay as of April 1, 2026.

November 2, 2026 · By the Agent Intervenant editorial team · Lire en français

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Working at the DPJ (Director of Youth Protection) means holding a job in a health and social services institution whose youth protection director carries out responsibilities set by law. A social worker there earns $31.06 to $55.04 an hour as of April 1, 2026. The text applies to women and men.

Each job title has its own pay scale. The salary calculator covers every title in the network. To reach the DPJ in your region as a member of the public, the page DPJ: making a report gives the number.

What the Youth Protection Act provides

The Loi sur la protection de la jeunesse (Youth Protection Act, CQLR, chapter P-34.1) names a youth protection director for each institution that operates a child and youth protection centre (section 31). The director acts under the direct authority of the institution's president and executive director.

Section 32 gives the director and the staff members the director authorizes, exclusively, these responsibilities:

receive the report, make a summary analysis of it and decide whether it is retained for evaluation
evaluate the child's situation and living conditions and decide whether the child's security or development is compromised
decide on the child's orientation
review the child's situation
end the intervention if the child's security or development is not or is no longer compromised

Section 32 contains other responsibilities, including tutorship. Section 33 allows the director to authorize a person in writing to carry out the director's other responsibilities.

The Act names no job title. The director authorizes staff members, whatever their title.

The closest job titles

The CPNSSS job title nomenclature has no "DPJ counsellor" title. Only one description cites the Act: the reviewer (réviseur, 1570), who reviews a child's situation and decides whether to continue or close the file under the Youth Protection Act. It requires a bachelor's degree in social work, in social services or in another appropriate discipline. It also requires membership in a professional order that allows evaluating a person as part of a decision by the director of youth protection or the court.

For the other titles, no official document read for this article says which are employed at the DPJ. Here are the network titles that do social or educational work.

Title	Required training	First step	Last step
Social worker (1550)	Bachelor's degree in social work and OTSTCFQ membership	$31.06	$55.04
Human relations officer (agent de relations humaines, 1553)	Bachelor's degree in human or social sciences	$31.06	$55.04
Social work technician (2586)	DEC in social work techniques	$28.43	$40.92
Special care counsellor (éducateur, 2691)	DEC in special care counselling or delinquency intervention techniques	$28.43	$40.92

Source: CPNSSS, job title nomenclature, September 15, 2026. Hourly rates as of April 1, 2026, before premiums. The reviewer's rate (1570) is in the nomenclature.

Training and the professional order

A social worker must hold a bachelor's degree in social work or social services and belong to the Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (OTSTCFQ), Quebec's professional order of social workers. A social work technician holds a DEC. A special care counsellor holds a DEC in special care counselling techniques or delinquency intervention techniques.

The nomenclature specifies that a human relations officer holds, depending on the field of activity, a bachelor's degree in human sciences or social sciences, for example in criminology, social work or psychology.

Where to apply

The employer is the network institution in the region. Each institution posts its jobs on its careers page. Search for the official job title rather than "DPJ counsellor".

This text is neither legal advice nor union advice. It describes no real case. To report a situation, call the DPJ in your region. In immediate danger, dial 911.

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Frequently asked questions

Who works at the DPJ?

The director of youth protection and the staff members the director authorizes. The Act designates no job title. Jobs carry the titles of the network nomenclature.

What degree do you need to work at the DPJ?

It depends on the title. A social worker needs a bachelor's degree and OTSTCFQ membership. A social work technician needs a DEC. A reviewer needs a bachelor's degree and membership in an order that allows evaluating under the Act.

How much does a social worker at the DPJ earn?

Title 1550 runs from $31.06 to $55.04 an hour as of April 1, 2026. The rate depends on the step. On April 1, 2027, the scale will run from $32.15 to $56.97.

Who decides that a child is in danger?

The director and the staff members the director authorizes. Section 32 of the Act gives them, exclusively, the evaluation of the child's situation and the decision on the child's security or development.

Do you have to belong to an order to work at the DPJ?

For the social worker and reviewer titles, yes. The reviewer's description refers to an order that allows evaluating a person under the Act. The social work technician title requires no order.

Where do you apply to work at the DPJ?

On the careers page of the health and social services institution in your region. That institution operates the child and youth protection centre the director reports to.

What does the DPJ do after a report?

It analyzes the report and decides whether to retain it. If it retains it, it evaluates the child's situation. The steps are described on the page After a report to the DPJ.