This report was published by the School and Community System of Care Collaborative (Lead Agency Consortium, School Mental Health Ontario (SMH-ON), Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions & Children’s Mental Health Ontario).

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

This resource document offers a collective vision for how schools and community-based child and youth mental health organizations can collaborate to provide a coordinated, responsive system of care. Co-created by leaders within both sectors – community mental health and school mental health – this document provides a timely “north star” for helping to ensure a cohesive system of care that works for children, young people, and families. This is especially important as we continue to move through the evolving pandemic, and through ongoing and significant societal events, injustices, and inequities, all of which can have an impact on mental health and well-being.

On April 8, 2022, SMH-ON and contributing partners introduced this vision to leaders from schools and community-based child and youth mental health agencies to set the stage for continued collaborative work, provincially and locally. Leaders were invited to take time to read and reflect on the document, and to consider what might be needed to make this vision a reality in their community. For some, this will mean building on existing community planning tables and related processes. For others, more significant changes will be needed, perhaps creating or re-imagining ways of working across schools and communities to better meet the needs of young people with rising levels of pandemic-related mental health distress. Leaders from community and from school mental health were invited to join a working group who will be developing related implementation supports to assist with mobilizing towards the Right Time, Right Care vision.