York Region: A Community of Collaboration Working together for children, youth and families

York Region: A Community of

Collaboration

Working together for children, youth and families

York Region Context

►High Population growth►Extensively Diverse►Large Newcomer Community►Transportation/accessibility concerns

York Region Growth

Between 2001 and 2006 York Region:• Grew by 22% to 892,712 (as of

May, 2006). Fastest growing Census Division in Ontario and third fastest in Canada

• Had the highest growth rate for all age groups in Ontario

• Immigrant population accounts for about 60% of the growth between 2001 and 2006

• In 2006, the number of Aboriginals represents 0.4% of York Region’s total population. Same as 2001

• Number of families increased by 23% and the number of lone parent families grew by 37%

• 12% of children live in lone parent families – majority led by women

Prepared by York Region Community and Health Services Department March, 2008

Our Community of Collaboration: Supporting

Structures

Partners

• York Region Planning Forum for Children, Youth & Families

• Counselling and Treatment Committee • Children’s Mental Health in Schools

Committee• Other Community Partners• YR District School Boards

Partnerships

• CTN – Children’s Treatment Network, Simcoe York

• Central Intake Process• Case Coordination• ASD Mobile Treatment Services• Triple P

School-basedPartnerships

• COMPASS

Where collaboration begins :York Region Planning Forum

for Children, Youth and Families

VisionResilient children, youth, their families

and communities in York Region. MissionThe Planning Forum creates conditions,

linkages and opportunities among organizations and other stakeholders to build resiliency within the families and communities of York Region.

Intentional Collaboration:

Our Partnerships among Mental Health, Education and Community Services

Why Collaborate?Reality Check: Needs vs.

ResourceOur current reality=

Our current need for Children’s Mental Health support

vs.Our current resource capacity

Our Estimated Need

►Need:►YRDSB student population= 110,000►YCDSB student population= 55,000►Combined student population=165,

000

►The percentage of students requiring mental health supports is approx. 18% or 29,700 students. (Ontario Child Health Study, Offord, 1989)

Our CapacityOrganization/Agency Client Capacity # #FTESBlue Hills 720 65Kinark 750 65York Centre 200 37Thistletown INTERFACE 340 35Family Services YR 250 15Canadian Mental Health Assoc. 100 10

Total Service Capacity 2360 students

We currently have the capacity to support 3,060 students of the potential 29,700 students requiring mental health services. We only have the capacity to reach approximately 8% of students needing support.

How can we support the children and youth who need MH supports in an under resourced system? How can we support “all the rest”?

We need to build capacity where we can. Schools and communities are a natural place to do this. It is clear we need to work together to support and build resiliency for the children, youth and families of York Region.

Earlier intervention can support children and youth so they don’t get to the place where they need intensive services.

We can create efficiencies by up front intake processes, a brief therapy context, case management, service coordination and bridging for families requiring longer term support.

Our Collaborative Opportunity

► 2004 Ministry of Child and Youth Services (MCYS) Funding Investment in Children’s Mental Health

► Strategic Objective for the funding was for the Children’s Mental Health Sector to employ collaborative initiatives

► A recognition of the importance of an integrated service delivery system across sectors

Total Funding=1.7 MillionSupporting 4 York Region

Initiatives

►Triple P (Positive Parenting Program)

►Enhancing Clinical Capacity►Residential Redevelopment►COMPASS-Community Partners

with Schools ($300,000 of total budget)

UniversalPrograms

andScreening

Information & Referral

Integration of York Region Initiatives

• Residential

• Custody

• Out of Region

Early InterventionCase Management(single provider)

InterventionService Coordination(multiple partners)

TreatmentCase Coordination(multiple/complex)

Integrated Systemic View1 Level 2-3 (Primary) Level 4 (Standard/Stepping Stones) Level 5 (Enhanced &

Pathways)

2 Community Planning Tables Integrated Team Day Treatment

3 Consultation & Comprehensive Assessments

4 Respite Service Family Based Therapeutic Foster Care Therapeutic Family Care

Assessment Stabilization Bed

1 Triple P 2 Community Partners with Schools 3 Enhanced Clinical Capacity 4 Residential Redevelopment

COMPASS: A Closer Look COMPASS

Community Partners with Schools is a partnership of:

York Region District School BoardYork Catholic District School BoardBlue Hills Child and Family CentreKinark Child and Family Services

The York Centre for Children Youth and FamiliesThistletown Regional Centre for Children and

Adolescents; INTERFACE Program Family Services York Region

and other community serving agencies.

Our Community of Collaboration: Supporting

Structures York Region Planning Forum for Children,

Youth and Families

Counselling and Treatment Committee Children’s Mental Health in Schools Committee

COMPASS

Together For Maple RH-EACH Linking Georgina

The Vision in Short: Integration

COMPASS

COMPASSCommunity Partners

with Schools

Historical ReviewWhere have we come from?

Where are going?

Where we came from..

►COMPASS Original Facilitated Planning SessionMarch 29-30, 2005

►A Strategic planning session on how to approach a School and Children’s Mental Health Partnership

Planning ResultsOriginal Indicators of Success

Student BasedDecreases in the number of students: ► sent to the principals office► under suspension► engaged in absenteeism► receiving more intensive children’s MH

services (i.e. via Section 20 , residential care etc.)

Increases in the number of students:► Graduating► Accomplishing 16 credits by age 16


School/Community Based► Parents would be engaged in helping their

children in a non-stigmatizing context (school as a more comfortable setting than a children’s mental health centre)

► Teachers will feel supported in helping students they are struggling with by consultation with the multi disciplinary team


Systems Based► School doors would be open on a system

wide basis (not just where historic relationships exist)

► A common language is developed between the education, children’s mental health, and community service sectors

► A realignment of resources and structural change within the education system and the mental health sector to reinforce the new way of working

COMPASS

Community Planning Table• Community defined as: geographical area of a YCDSB and a YRDSB high school and

feeder elementary schools.• Representation from: school administrators and staff, superintendents, trustees, students,

parents, community members, community agencies/services, child welfare, libraries, recreation services, police, youth justice, hospitals, public health, faith communities, municipal government, provincial government.

Integrated Staff Team• Integrated multi-disciplinary consultation to school staff• Specialized resources for students, families, schools and community

Community Based Implementation

School Based

Implementation

YRDSBHigh School

YCDSBHigh School

Feeder Elementary Schools

Expansion and Enhancement of Community Capacity and School Clinical Partnership

The COMPASS Model

A two-level structure:1. Community Level:

supported by a Community Planning Table

► Prioritizes the identified needs of the community

► Partners to support the needs identified within the community

► Broadens the supports available to students and families; providing a continuum of service from universal programs (i.e. recreation, parenting, health supports) to intensive.

The COMPASS Model2. The School Level

Integrated Team=COMPASS mental health staff integrated into school support teamThis multi disciplinary team provides consultations to teachers and school staff. The COMPASS staff member will work with families in an assessment and brief therapy context. Where long term supports are needed the staff bridges the families to community services.

The COMPASS Integrated Teams

Integrating our strengths, practices and skills to build

resiliency in schools, children and their families.

Integrated Support Continuum

Alternative Class

PlacementTherapeutic

SupportSuspension(ACCESS )

• Student Groups

• StaffWorkshops In School Referral to Intake Case

Team Integrated Assessment Conference w/ Team Screening Intervention Plan• Classroom

SupportsOr interventions

Rapid Response Support(crisis, brief consultation, safety plan implementation)

“…how people interact with each other to make

change happen…”

(e3smallschools.org)

Collaborative Partnership

The Integration Continuum

Shifts

Beyond programs

Relationships

Second Shift

to

From fixing children’s problems

First Shift

Promoting children’s strengths

to

Shifts

From “their” children

To “our” children

Fourth Shift

to

From My School

Third Shift

Our Communityto

Shifted Thinking towards a Shared Vision

These shifts allow us to:-Strengthen the resource capacity of schools.

Schools become: -a seamless system of school-community based prevention, identification, and intervention services to meet the needs of children, and youth and their families where they are.

Factors For Successful Partnerships

►Leadership►Shared Vision►Clear Roles and Responsibilities►Effective Communication►Trust►Shared Decision-Making and

Accountability

Collaborative Partnerships: Lessons Learned

The 4 Rules for Successful Collaboration:

1. The scope of the collaborative project is clearly defined.

2. Each partner knows how the collaboration will advance the interests of their organization and students/clients.


3. Role and responsibilities have been defined; mechanisms for communication and joint accountability are in place.

4. The relationship works: there is enough trust and respect among the key players to support the level of risk and interdependence involved in the project.


Some of the challenges within collaborative work:

►It's time-consuming►It demands the ability to face

conflict directly ►It demands that leaders

subordinate their egos►It is leadership dependent initially


Who are collaborative leaders?►Leaders trusted and respected by

all the groups and individuals involved in the partnership

►Relate to diverse groups and individuals with respect and ease

►Have good facilitation skills►Catalysts for systems change


►They nurture new leadership within the collaboration and the community

►They have a commitment to the collaborative process and to finding real solutions to problems

►They keep the focus on what's best for the group, organization, or community as a whole


How do you practice collaborative leadership?

Lead the process, not the people;Help the group set norms that it can

live by;Assure that everyone gets heard;Encourage and model inclusiveness;Help people make real connections with

one another;Mediate conflicts and disputes;Help the group create and use

mechanisms for soliciting ideas;


►Maintain collaborative problem-solving and decision-making;

►Push the group toward effectiveness;►Help the group choose initial projects

that are doable;►Help the group identify and obtain the

necessary resources to do the work;►Insist on and protect an open,

transparent process;►Keep the group focused on what's best

for the organization, collaborative , or community as a whole.


Partnerships need to ensure:1. that the values, ideas, and processes of the

effort are widely shared and deeply felt, 2. that important relationships are nurtured

and remain strong, 3. that policy and practice innovations are

institutionalized and become the norm, and 4. that needed financial and human resources

are secured for the long term.


“Education services, in partnership with health, welfare and recreation services, should universally promote social, emotional and behavioural well being as part of a child’s healthy development and total education”.

Documents

York Region: A Community of Collaboration Working together for children, youth and families