Integrated care pathways homepage  Early years   Right time, right care

Children and young people at different developmental stages have different needs and strengths. This page focuses on the middle years — ages 7 to 12 — a unique and rich developmental stage where children’s brains, bodies as well as their social and inner worlds are changing rapidly.

Our path

 Early identification and timely intervention have long been priorities in our work, as important factors in long-term mental health and wellness. Children are primed for learning and are surrounded by many protective factors that can be strengthened to promote mental health, making the middle years an opportune time to identify and address emerging mental health challenges. 

Where we started

In 2022, we extended our focus on early identification and intervention to better support mental health in the middle years. This work culminated in the publication of Stemming the tide: Investing early in the mental health of Ontario’s 7- to 12-year-olds. The policy paper outlines seven evidence-based recommendations to encourage collaboration across sectors, strengthen mental health services and guide decision makers. 

Where we are now

Over the last couple of years, we’ve built on recommendations in our middle years policy paper to enhance protective factors supporting children’s well-being at this crucial developmental stage and beyond. This includes empowering family-focused approaches to promote family wellness, supporting our sector to adopt culturally responsive approaches to service delivery and working with partners across sectors to build a more supportive school environment. We’ve also created resources addressing problematic technology use in response to the over-reliance on screens and social media developed during the pandemic. 

Where we are headed

Our Right time, right care work is all about improving collaboration across sectors to build a more supportive school environment that is better able to identify mental health challenges as they’re emerging and connect children to the care they need. Work is well underway to take RTRC from a vision to a reality in Ontario communities, but the implementation process will take time and long-term commitment. 

Empowering family-focused approaches

Studies have shown that approaches to children’s mental health challenges (particularly during the middle years) are more effective when the treatment involves parents or caregivers and siblings. Still, funding and care models are traditionally centered around individuals. In 2025, we published a summary of programs to inform and empower service providers interested in implementing and improving family-focused mental health and addiction care programs tailored for early years and middle years children.

What is a family-focused approach?

A family-focused approach takes a holistic, lifespan approach to coordinate supports across family members and involves the whole family in treatment. Family-focused models of care should emphasize service delivery, mental health promotion and prevention, and timely intervention programs that specifically support families.

Key resources