Urgent response support for at-risk populations of youth

The Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre developed two distinct support services for specialized populations of at-risk youth specifically targeting support for youth with 1) acute mental health issues, and 2) sexual... [ view full abstract ]

The Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre developed two distinct support services for specialized populations of at-risk youth specifically targeting support for youth with 1) acute mental health issues, and 2) sexual offending behaviours. A clinician was contracted for each service to provide direct assessment, intervention or consultation as needed. This workshop will describe the role of the clinicians, how they support the larger collaborative teams, and the impact of their support on those team members as well as on the youth and their families.
The Mental Health Clinician provides urgent assessment, stabilization and treatment to traumatized youth with acute mental health concerns such as suicidal ideation, previous suicide attempts and self-harming behaviors. This position’s main focus is assessing and ensuring the safety of these youth, often within the context of a child abuse investigation. Exploration of this role will delineate the obstacles that these mental health issues can have on effective service delivery and will outline how this role reduces barriers, improves the mental health of youth, and advances overall service delivery.
Presently, roughly 15% of youth referrals to the Centre are related to problematic sexual behaviour or sexual offending behavior against children. Appropriate and timely assessment and support of these youth and families is an integral component to the prevention of sexual abuse. Exploration of the Sexual Behaviour Clinician role will demonstrate how time-sensitive consultation and youth risk assessments can reduce short-term risk of reoffending, assist in development of a safety plan and catalyze a practical, long-term plan for support and treatment.
Case examples will be provided for group exploration and time reserved for participants to bring their own cases forward for brainstorming as well. At completion, participants will understand the complexity of supporting at-risk youth and how this support can be provided in collaboration with various stakeholders.