Presenters
Meriem Benlamri – Senior Knowledge Mobilization Lead, Frayme
Emma Firsten-Kaufman – Knowledge Broker, Provincial System Support Program (CAMH)
Key learnings
- Core Components or Principles are defined as evidence-based structural and functional elements and/or activities required to inform the development and delivery of a system of services. Core Components/Principles can play an essential role in ensuring quality of care, and guide a system of services towards achieving and reporting on desired outcomes.
- In partnership with Orygen, the World Economic Forum is developing a ‘Global Framework for Youth Mental Health’. This work is a result of a large literature review and face-to-face consultations with young people, families, clinicians, economists, policy makers, and others from across the globe. The framework identifies 8 ‘Key Principles’ that underpin an approach to youth mental health. The framework has the capacity to be flexible across settings, considering local factors such as funding, culture, political will, and existing infrastructure. Each principle is operationalized through a range of practices, which can also vary based on local context. The principles are 1) Rapid, easy, and affordable access, 2) Youth specific care, 3) Awareness, engagement, and integration, 4) Early intervention, 5) Youth partnership, 6) Family engagement and support, 7) Continuous improvement, and 8) Prevention. The framework can be found here.
- Workshop attendees identified that these principles are all essential to their own contexts and experiences. Attendees solidified that the principles are closely interconnected and should work in collaboration with one another in practice. Attendees outlined a list of additional principles or components that they deem essential: 1) Equity, 2) Peer Support, 3) Trauma-Informed Care, 4) Partnership, 5) Navigation and Transition Support, 6) Sustainability, 7) Outreach, 8) Harm Reduction, and more.
- Workshop attendees were asked to share their perspectives on whether core components or principles should be nationally standardized or aligned. Most attendees identified that although it would be important for agencies and initiatives to align on a set of consensus and evidence-based overarching components, it is important not to mandate strict standardization requirements. Attendees indicated strong agreement that agencies should be able to contextualize components and services based on local factors and needs. Local clinical and operational staff, as well as local youth and family advisory committees, know the communities in which they work and live best and are able to identify how components should be contextualized to provide the best care to local youth and families.
- A link to the full synthesis of findings from the workshop’s activities will be included in this description soon.
Contact Email of Presenter
Meriem Benlamri – meriem.benlamri@theroyal.ca
Emma Firsten-Kaufman - Emma.Firsten-Kaufman@camh.ca
