Blog

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.

We're pleased to share our 2015-2016 annual report. It is both a look back at our collective achievements and a look forward to our future. Learn more.

For the past two years, the Centre has supported child and youth mental health agencies across the province in consulting with youth. The goal was to ensure the youth voice was included and reflected in the evelopment of community mental health plans and to help lay the groundwork for ongoing meaningful youth engagement.

In order to establish renewed trust and find ways to support Indigenous families and children on their path to wellness, child and youth mental health agencies must commit to ongoing and consistent efforts to engage Indigenous families in culturally-appropriate ways.

Although basic science is what interests me intellectually, I have always felt that it is important to disseminate and translate this knowledge into policy and practice.

My favorite part of this job is traveling around the province and meeting the passionate people that strive to enhance the lives of our children.

Our recently released Evidence In-Sight report highlights the positive benefits of family engagement for children, youth and families - as well as organizations, communities and the larger child and youth mental health system.