Roadmap to Wellness

Vision to Help Children and Youth Reach Their Potential

Provincially, Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMH) supports a vision of Ontario in which child and youth mental health is a key determinant of overall well-being, and where children and youth grow to reach their full potential.

Child and Youth Mental Health Services are delivered across many agencies and sectors.

Aligning and coordinating these services includes collaboration with many sectors that directly serve children, youth and families. These include: health, social services, education, child welfare and youth justice. 

Array of core services

Lead agencies are responsible for ensuring core child and youth mental health services are available in their community. Minimum expectations are set provincially that core service providers must meet.

Facts about core services:

  • Available across the province to children and youth aged 0-18 who have a mental health concern
  • Available in every community (may be dependent on available resources)
  • Core services accessed by a smaller number of people may be available across a span of communities
  • More than one core service can be accessed at a time
  • May be part of a treatment plan that also includes services provided by other sectors or Ministry-funded programs

Core services are grouped into the following categories:

  • Targeted Prevention
  • Brief Services
  • Counselling and Therapy
  • Family/Caregiver Capacity Building and Support
  • Specialized Consultation and Assessments
  • Crisis Support Services
  • Intensive Treatment Services (including community based In-Home and In-School programs, Day Treatment programs and Intensive Out-of-Home  programs)

Additional services may be offered to meet the needs of children, youth and families.