Key Work to Date
It is important to recognize that mental health and wellness supports have existed in our Board for many years, prior to the development of the Mental Health Strategy. Professional Support Services staff have been at the forefront of mental health service provision and their contributions have been considerable.
The Children and Youth Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy will continue to rely heavily on Professional Support Services in collaboration with administrators, educators and support staff to provide a comprehensive and systemic approach to mental health education and intervention across the Board.
Laying the Foundation - Year 1: 2012/2013
- Began work with School Mental Health Awareness Strategy Selection and Implementation Support Team (ASSIST) project
- Established Committees – Core Planning Team, Leadership Team, Mental Health Strategy Work Group to inform the draft Children and Youth Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy 2013-2017
- Incorporated extensive input to the draft Mental Health Strategy (met with 13 different groups representing school-based, central staff and external partners)
- Obtained information from the release of documents - “Foundations for a Healthy School” and “Supporting Minds” which helped to shape and give strength to the directions identified in the development of the strategy
- Completed a Board Scan that provided a high level snapshot of the TDSB’s organizational conditions, resources and supports
- Utilized TDSB data from Resource Mapping exercise to inform our mental health strategy (more than 200 submissions reflecting the input of over 900 people)
- Used 2011-2012 Student & Parent Census results that confirmed the issues identified in schools and provided a springboard for action in areas such as Mental Health Literacy, Anti-Stigma and increased knowledge on specific issues such as anxiety and depression
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