Victoria | 8 May 2012
It’s a surprising statistic for many British Columbians: one in seven children and youth in B.C. struggles with a mental health challenge that interferes with their daily lives and their relationships with friends and relatives.
Today has been declared Child and Youth Mental Health Day in B.C. in order to raise the importance of mental health in healthy child development and the need to provide accessible and effective support and care for those children and youth experiencing mental health challenges and their families.
Government is working with community partners to improve supports for children and youth and their families as part of the implementation of Healthy Minds, Healthy People – A 10-Year Plan to Address Mental Health and Substance Use in B.C.
The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Children and Family Development are co-chairing a task force with The F.O.R.C.E. – Families Organized for Recognition and Care Equality – Society for Kids’ Mental Health, which is leading development on a family mental health framework.
Government has provided funding for development of the framework, which identifies the mental health promotion needs of families affected by mental health challenges, and outlines potential strategies to address those needs and improve the mental health and wellbeing of all family members.
The framework will be officially unveiled by The F.O.R.C.E. at an international mental health conference tonight in Vancouver.
A variety of national and international clinicians, physicians, researchers, policy makers and front-line workers are attending the conference (May 6-8) to help gain a better understanding of the mental health needs of young people and their families when a family member is experiencing mental health challenges, and how to better support them.