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We don’t provide mental health advice, counselling, or treatment. If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact your local community crisis team. You can also reach out to the Indigenous Hope for Wellness Help Line 1-855-242-3310, the Black Youth Helpline 1-833-294-8650, or Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868.

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Spotlight on Our Partner: Children’s Mental Health Ontario, Parents for Children’s Mental Health 

The By Your Side resource hub was created as part of an initiative supported by the Ministry of Education, through funding focused on increasing mental health awareness, promoting wellness, and reducing stigma related to mental health concerns for parents/caregivers of Ontario students. In this project, SMH-ON offers resources to support wellness promotion and early identification of mental health problems. Our partner, Children’s Mental Health Ontario, provides resources focused on supports for families when young people are experiencing mental health challenges. Together, we provide resources to parents/caregivers across a continuum of support – from wellness promotion through early intervention to more intensive therapeutic care. 

We invited Vicki Cochrane, Family Partnership Program Manager at CMHO to share more about the Parents for Children’s Mental Health program and resources.

At Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO), our mission is to ensure that all infants, children, youth, and families get the mental health treatment they need within a high-performing system. We do that by working closely in advocacy with nearly 85 member organizations that provide treatment and support to infants, children, youth, and families across Ontario.  

Parents for Children’s Mental Health (PCMH) is one of CMHO’s engagement programs, offering peer support, trusted resources, and expert-led webinars to parents and caregivers raising children with mental health challenges. PCMH’s commitment to supporting, educating, and empowering families has guided the organization’s work and dedication to system improvement for over 30 years. Through meaningful engagement and family-centred care, CMHO and PCMH continue to empower families so their voices are heard and recognized as experts. 

What we have heard from parents and caregivers 

Through the survey and focus groups led by the Coalition for Child and Youth Mental Health, another key partner in this initiative, and the data we gathered from families through our PCMH peer support networks, we heard that parents want resources on how to support their children’s mental health and need an easy way to know which resources are from credible sources. They also wanted to hear other parent and caregiver perspectives.  

The topics that parents and caregivers wanted to learn about included: 

Family Care Center resources 

We have developed the Family Care Centre, a one-stop shop for trusted resources related to infant, child, and youth mental health. This website has been created by our team through consultations with families, clinicians, and other subject matter experts. This means that all the tools, information, and links are evidence-informed and credible sources of information. The website covers many topics including how to know if your child or youth needs help, what to do next, and how to manage a crisis related to your child or youth’s mental health.  

Many tools in our Family Care Center address the topics that parents and caregivers shared wanting to learn more about. A couple of examples include: 

New resources coming in the Spring 

As we continue to collaborate with SMH-ON and the Coalition for Child and Youth Mental Health, we are developing more tools to add to our Family Care Center. Parents and caregivers have asked for more, and we plan to deliver resources in the following areas: 

The new resources will be available in the Spring through our Family Care Center. Please keep in touch with us by checking out the Family Care Centre, or email us directly with any questions or concerns at support@pcmh.ca.  

We continue to strive to meet the needs of families across Ontario who are supporting and raising infants, children, and youth with mental health challenges.  

We thank Vicki for taking time to share more about the excellent resources within the Family Care Centre at PCMH, within CMHO! 

In a future blog, we will share more about our collaboration with First Peoples Wellness Circle, our partner leading the development of resources designed by and for Indigenous parents and caregivers.  

Stay tuned…

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