Right time, right care: Strengthening Ontario’s mental health and addictions system of care for children and young people

Published: June 11, 2025

Schools are uniquely positioned to identify mental health needs and support early intervention because children and young people spend much of their time there. Often, they encounter unique needs that are best addressed by community-based mental health agencies, but service providers in schools don’t always know how, when and where to direct children, young people and families to access care. We partnered with the Lead Agency Consortium, School Mental Health Ontario (SMH-ON) and Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) to develop this foundational resource to support an integrated system of care between the education and child and youth mental health and addictions sectors. The document, which is intended for leaders in schools and community-based child and youth mental health and addictions organizations, describes four common foundations of a system of care, outlines aspirational roles and responsibilities for partners, details the importance of care pathways and explains key factors that support implementation.