Helping the families of Quebec. The reform school and industrial school of Hospice Saint-Charles, 1870-1950

Between 1870 and 1950, thousands of young girls were sent to the reform school (1870-1921) and the industrial school (1884-1950) of the Hospice St. Charles of Quebec City, institutions run by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. This network of privately managed public institutions lay at the confluence of State's desire to control delinquent and endangered youth and that of social reformers to assist families and children living in various difficult situations. Quebec historiography has mainly focussed on the state's perspective. Without ignoring the aims of social control,this article will instead seek to better understand the dynamics of assistance, notably through the lens of the initiatives and strategies adopted by the principle actors, namely judges, nuns and families.