Young people in Mission will be getting more supports for mental-health and substance-use issues.
On Thursday (Feb. 2) at Mission Youth Centre, the province announced an expansion of Integrated Child and Youth (ICY) teams to seven additional school districts in Mission, Fraser-Cascade (Hope, Harrison, Agassiz), Kootenay-Columbia (Trail), Nanaimo-Ladysmith, Okanagan-Shuswap (Salmon Arm), Pacific Rim (Port Alberni) and Powell River.
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jennifer Whiteside and Minister of Children and Family Development Mitzi Dean made the announcement in tandem with Mission MLAs Pam Alexis and Bob D’Eith.
“We’ve been through a lot in the last few years and we know that young people have borne the brunt of these challenges, from the toxic drug crisis and the COVID 19 pandemic to climate change,” Whiteside said. “There is a lot going on for kids these days and we know that each new challenge increases the need for support.”
Whiteside says the process to get the Mission team going will begin in the coming weeks by identifying a project leader and posting positions.
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“It is essential that young people get the help they need early on through prevention, treatment and comprehensive services,” Alexis said. “It is great to see the new ICY teams coming to our region. I know that they will make a difference for children, youth and their families in our community.”
“I really welcome today’s announcement and I know it’ll make a difference in the lives of children in Mission,” D’Eith said. “I’ve already seen the benefits of this initiative in Maple Ridge.”
There are now 12 school districts with ICY teams, with Richmond, Coast Mountains, Okanagan-Similkameen, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows and the Comox Valley already functioning.
The teams aim to provide counseling, peer support, and cultural assistance to young people. Clinical counselors, youth substance-use specialists, child and youth mental health clinicians and Indigenous Elders are among the team members. Members of the team provide a range of supports including assessment, screening, consultation and therapeutic services to youth up to 19 years old.
The ICY teams offer services to all youth within a school district, including those in First Nations-operated schools, independent schools, francophone schools, alternative schools, and those not in school.
The province is committed to funding teams in 20 more school districts by 2024 , to be fully operational by 2025.
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dillon.white@missioncityrecord.com
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