Youth Services System Review: Moving From Knowledge Gathering to Implementation Through Collaboration, Youth Engagement, and Exploring Local Community Needs

Abstract

This article describes a two-phase, multi-sectoral project aimed at enhancing youth services addressing substance use in Ontario. In the information gathering phase, a youth-focused website and survey, focus groups, and interviews were used to elicit perspectives from multiple stakeholders. In the implementation phase, capacity-building and consultations on transition-aged youth needs were conducted to inform youth transition-readiness checklists. We discuss the importance of engaging youth as collaborators as well as respondents and the processes used to tailor findings to local contexts for implementation.Keywords: substance use, service system, youth engagement, cross-sectoral collaboration, health equity, knowledge exchange RÉSUMÉCet article décrit un projet multisectoriel à deux volets qui vise à améliorer les services de toxicomanie pour les jeunes Ontariens. Premièrement, un site web et un sondage axés sur les jeunes, des groupes de discussion, et des entrevues étaient employés afin d'obtenir les perspectives de multiples parties prenantes. Ensuite, des initiatives de renforcement de capacité et des consultations sur les besoins de jeunes en transition étaient effectuées afin de développer un inventaire de préparation à la transition. Nous discutons de l'importance d'impliquer les jeunes comme collaborateurs et comme répondants, ainsi que des processus d'adaptation aux contextes locaux d'implantation.Mots clés : usage de substances, système de services, engagement des jeunes, collaboration intersectorielle, équité en santé, échange de connaissances Although experimenting with substances is common, rates of substance use problems increase significantly in adolescence and emerging adulthood (e.g., Boak, Hamilton, Adlaf, & Mann, 2015). Problematic substance use can have long term impacts for youth, and is often complicated by co-occurring mental health concerns, increasing the risk for negative health and life outcomes (Grella, Hser, Joshi, & Rounds-Bryant, 2001;Roberts, Roberts, & Xing, 2007;Storr, Pacek, & Martins, 2012;Vida et al., 2009). Adolescence and emerging adulthood are challenging periods of transition and change; unmet need for mental health and substance use services can interfere with developmentally salient domains including education, work, and relationships (Goodman, Henderson, Peterson-Badali, & Goldstein, 2015;MacLeod & Brownlie, 2014). The continuing low rate of treatment for mental health concerns among children and youth (Auditor General of Ontario, 2008) is just one indicator of the need for system enhancement addressing child and youth mental health difficulties including substance use concerns (Mohajer & Earnest, 2009).A consistent message in Changing Direction, Changing Lives: The Mental Health Strategy for Canada is the need to increase the extent to which services are designed and reviewed by the people who use them (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2012). Youth perspectives are critical if services are to be developmentally informed and responsive to the differences in...

Early Adolescent Substance Use and Mental Health Problems and Service Utilisation in a School-based Sample

“…This association was especially strong for youth reporting suicidal thoughts, suggesting appropriate targeting of more intensive resources. However, consistent with previous findings of the high levels of unmet need in youth, 16,[38][39][40][41][42] a substantial proportion of early adolescents with above-threshold MH problems and almost one-third of those reporting suicidal thoughts had not received MH services within the past 12 mo. Most of the youth who engaged with services received fewer than 6 sessions, suggesting possible unmet need even among those who did speak with a professional.…”

“…The pattern of regional differences-with greater rates of SU and MH problems in rural and northern communities compared with large urban communities, which is consistent with OSDUHS findings 22 -is compounded by poorer access to services in those regions. 39 The cross-sectional data do not provide information on the direction of the association between SU and MH problems, including environmental or other factors, increasing the risk for both difficulties. Response rates for this study were comparable to the OSDUHS for grade 7 and 8 students.…”

Assessing service and treatment needs and barriers of youth who use illicit and non-medical prescription drugs in Northern Ontario, Canada

“…For example, remote communities have been found to have critical service gaps for addictions and mental health needs [25, 26, 28, 46], and Northern and rural communities often have few mental health and addictions services; where these do exist, they are generally fragmented and disconnected from one another [47, 48]. Moreover, an overall lack of services specific to youth addicted to drugs, and a need for prevention, early intervention activities and low-threshold/easily accessible substance use treatments that are youth-oriented has been identified [15, 18, 49, 50]. Other studies suggest that there are common barriers that impact youth and directly affect their decisions, specifically when it comes to seeking treatment such as lack of awareness or motivation, stigma, wait times, paper work, etc.…”

“…Other studies suggest that there are common barriers that impact youth and directly affect their decisions, specifically when it comes to seeking treatment such as lack of awareness or motivation, stigma, wait times, paper work, etc. [15, 49, 51].…”

“…Nonetheless, even when youth become motivated to seek treatment and understand its benefits, stigmatization remains a major deterrent. Fear of stigmatization and beliefs about the lack of helpfulness of treatments and services for addiction and mental health issues has been correlated with help-seeking intentions among youth [52, 53], and many studies have reported this as a specific barrier for treatment [15, 50, 51, 61]. Drug use is inherently stigmatized, and particularly so among youth; studies have shown that stigmatization experienced in youth can carry into adulthood and can affect personal drug use experiences and trajectories [61–63].…”