Blog

Getting there isn’t always easy, but with some help from our evidence-informed roadmap, resources and customized support you can be on your way to the culture shift that includes meaningful family engagement.

As champions of youth engagement, the Centre is here to offer guidance and ongoing support as you strengthen youth engagement practices across your agency and community. Here’s how we can help.

Here at the Centre, we gather around our Huddle Board every Monday morning at 9:30. During our huddles, we identify teams to tackle new challenges, follow up on ongoing ones, and of course, celebrate the successes along the way.

Earlier this month, over 120 people in the child and youth mental health sector from across the province came together at our PHIPA in Practice event (Personal Health Information Protection Act).

The Centre's new Strategic Advisory Council, aka the Council, officially gathered face-to-face for their first meeting in early February.

This Thursday, the Centre’s brand new Strategic Advisory Council will come together for the first time to help us learn from our past, make the most of the present and plan for an even better Centre in the future. They represent the agencies, families and youth we work for, and with, each and every day. They’ll keep us on track, monitor our performance and nudge us in new directions when opportunities arise.

As I reflect on my first year at the Centre, I am astounded by how quickly it has gone by. At the same time, it feels as though I have been here for a much longer period of time.

The Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health and Parents for Children’s Mental Health are proud to announce a new partnership that puts more family engagement support and expertise within reach of child and youth mental health agencies all across the province.

The 2016 Annual Report of the Ontario Auditor General highlights a range of opportunities to enhance the mental health system of care for children, youth and families across the province.

The Centre is building a brand new team to help us support excellence in Ontario child and youth mental health services. Strategic Advisory Council members will help set our direction, advise us and provide strategic input into our activities.

With the influx of newcomers and refugees settling in Ontario there is a growing need to support their mental health and well-being. In some instances, newcomer children, youth and families, particularly refugees, arrive in Canada after having been exposed to tremendous trauma in their home countries. As a result, their mental health needs may differ significantly from other populations. Unfortunately, even after arrival, the stresses and challenges often continue during and after settlement.

Earlier this month, the Centre said farewell to Dr. Simon Davidson, one of our founders and a well-known advocate, clinician, leader, connector and researcher. He’s heading to Vancouver to play a lead role at BC Children’s hospital and spend some well-deserved time with his sons and grandchildren.

For the past two years the Centre has worked with lead agencies across the province to consult with families. The goal was to ensure that family perspectives were included in community mental health planning and lay the groundwork for ongoing meaningful family engagement. The result, 770 family members were consulted across 18 service areas.

The Ontario Centre of Excellence is pleased to introduce some important changes that will broaden the services we can provide to agencies, service areas and the sector as a whole. As system transformation continues to unfold, agency needs are getting deeper and more complex. The Centre has a strong history of evolving alongside the sector, and that’s one thing that will never change.

The Centre currently has an awesome opportunity to join our team as a communications specialist. We're looking for someone who can turn evidence, data, reports and projects into products and stories that make an impact. Does that sound like you?

Join our team and work side by side with agencies, leaders and policy makers to make services work better for Ontario's young people and families.