Point in Time is continuing to help deal with children's mental health issues with an expansion of programming. The child and youth services provider rolled out a program called Working Together for Kids' Mental Health last year and funding from the province is helping to grow the program and make dealing with kids' mental health a more collaborative process.
A tri-ministerial program – involving the health, education and child and youth services ministries – aimed at child and youth mental health and providing $297 million in funding over three years was announced in the spring.
"I'm very pleased to say that today, some of that money has made its way to Haliburton County," said Point in Time executive director Marg Cox, explaining that Haliburton County is one of just a few communities in the province that will act has a demonstration site for the new, collaborative programming.
The organization has received funding to attain three more full-time mental health workers, which it is currently in the process of hiring. Those employees will be working closely with the school board since, as Cox explained, part of the program is to get the school board more involved in children's mental health.
"In society in general, teachers are trained to teach," she said, but added that members of the Trillium Lakelands District School Board would be undergoing training in mental health literacy. "It will help them understand what different mental health challenges might look like . . . what depression might look like . . . when somebody might be at risk, or need a referral."
The aim of the program is to get children and youth services, schools and health care institutions working together on children's mental health issues, since, as Cox said, "they're all dealing with the same kids."