The Auditor General recently released their Audit of how well the province is doing with mental health services for children and youth, and their findings were not good.
One in five children and youth in Ontario will experience mental health challenges, and we know that when they can access the help they need now, it greatly reduces the reliance on services later.
The Audit was last done in 2016, but we all know that so many events have happened in the world that has deepened the crisis with mental health and intensified our need for mental health services, primarily COVID.
Here are a few of the issues found from the report:
- Some areas of the province do not offer a full suite of intensive services to help young people with more severe mental health issues.
105 days is the average wait time for intensive treatment
2. About 70% of agencies responding to the survey noted that available mental health services are not sufficient to meet the needs of children and youth with concurrent mental health and addictions disorders.
3. 66% of Children and Youth Mental Health programs say that there are not enough services for youth transitioning to adulthood.
$64 million of unspent funding not yet recovered from CYMH agencies
The Auditor General has made several recommendations, all which you can read below.
What are your experiences with mental health services for your child or youth? Share below
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