Youth mental health: Integrated Youth Services
A central component of the Youth Mental Health Fund is the expansion of the Integrated Youth Services (IYS) model. The fund will help strengthen IYS hubs and networks to reach more youth and improve mental wellness supports for Indigenous youth. The Indigenous IYS network plays a crucial role in linking mental health services across Indigenous communities in Canada.
The fund will also help community-based health organizations link into IYS networks or provincial and territorial health systems.
Accessing care
IYS is transforming how young people access mental health supports and services. Integrated youth services are often referred to as a guiding set of principles for delivering care to youth, typically in the age range of 12 to 25 years old, with a focus on mental health, substance use, and early intervention. Defined by evidence-informed guiding principles, and driven by community needs
Using a "one-stop-shop" approach, IYS hubs offer youth aged 12 to 25 and their families fast and easy access to an array of services and supports. This would otherwise involve a series of medical appointments, referrals and lengthy wait times.
The approach is designed and developed with young people and their caregivers and has been gaining momentum across Canada since 2013.
IYS sites often include:
- primary care
- sexual health services
- mental health services
- peer and family support
- work and study supports
- substance use counselling
- system navigation supports
- housing and other social and community services
- traditional Indigenous wellbeing and cultural practices
By bringing together community-based health and social services, young people and their families can more easily navigate our health system.
Moreover, community-based care offered by IYS hubs can help reduce barriers to care and lessen the burden on hospital emergency rooms and facilitate early intervention.