Author : Renee Sloos
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (133 download)
Book Synopsis Integration of Services in Child and Youth Mental Health by : Renee Sloos
Download or read book Integration of Services in Child and Youth Mental Health written by Renee Sloos and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Background: Although approximately one in five children and youth in Canada deal with mental health issues, only a third access specialized care. Difficulties accessing and navigating the health care system are commonly reported. Integration holds promise as a mechanism to address care access and system navigation issues. Objectives: This dissertation aims to explore integration in child and youth mental health care by: identifying components of integration that improve outcomes for children and youth; describing how mental health services for children and youth are integrated and identifying factors that influence integration in Ontario, Canada; and refining an integration framework that can function as a guide for integration in child and youth mental health care settings. Methods: A multi-methods framework was utilized. A scoping review methodology was used to examine the international literature to identify components of integration. A case study methodology was used to examine integration in child and youth mental health care settings in Ontario, Canada. The case study included interviews with 33 key informants from the child and youth services, education and health sectors as well as a review of relevant government documents. A comparative mapping methodology was used to assess congruence of an integration framework with the international literature and the case study results. Results: Several common structural, infrastructure, and operational components were reported in the integration literature. While many of these components aligned with shared mental models (SSMs) of integration, SMMs were not commonly acknowledged in the literature. Additionally, the language describing integration in the child and youth literature differs from the health care literature. Numerous facilitators and barriers influence the integration of child and youth mental health care in Ontario, however two critical features: the absence of guidance in government policies and poor system-level planning are of importance as they demonstrate the lack of a system level shared mental model of integration. Conclusions: The absence of consistent system-level planning and inadequate guidance from policy documents are obstacles that need to be addressed to optimize integration planning and implementation. Addressing these issues may also influence the development of a system level SMM of integration.