Youth-focused mental health response developed in partnership with CHEO, other youth orgs

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS), in partnership with the Youth Services Bureau (YSB), CHEO and the Kids Come First Health Team, is unveiling a youth-focused Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) to help coordinate a trauma-informed response to youth metal health crises.

The team brings together a Crisis Intervention Team-trained officer from the OPS Mental Health Crisis Unit and a YSB youth worker. Together these parties will use a trauma-informed, de-escalation-focused approach to respond to mental health and safety crises involving youth int he community, OPS said.

“As part of the crisis response team, YSB’s youth workers will connect youth with supports that feel right for them—such as counseling, family support, or community programs,” Nina Gorka, CEO of YSB, said in a press release. “By providing a compassionate and community-based response, we aim to reduce mental health crisis visits to hospitals, while ensuring youth continue to receive the services they need.”

The youth-focused MCRT builds upon the MCRT program announced in October designed to provide “immediate and specialized support” to those in crisis.

OPS has reported that mental health calls for service have increased 15 per cent since 2019.

In 2021, the Mental Health CHANGE Initiative (MHCI) was developed in response to a coroner’s inquest into the death of Abdirahman Abdi in 2016. The initiative was created with the goal “of identifying and addressing systemic gaps, coordinating efforts and driving meaningful improvements”.

In 2023, council voted to create a 24/7 9-1-1 alternative crisis phone line to help those with mental health concerns.

In August, OPS launched a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program to train officers in dealing with mental health situations. The program ensures there is at least one CIT-trained officer on each frontline platoon, as well as several additional officers to address a higher number of calls.

But as mental health crises increase for young people, a new youth-focused approach is necessary.

OPS is now introducing a specialized youth-focused training module for CIT officers developed in consultation with CHEO and Kids Come First. OPS said the module will enhance skills in responding to neurodiverse youth and identifying appropriate responses for racialized and Indigenous youth.

Using the innovative 1Call1Click.ca service, the team will be able to connect those experiencing a wide range of mental-health crises with hospital and community-based supports.

“1Call1Click.ca is designed to seamlessly connect children, youth, families, and caregivers to the right mental health, addiction, substance use health, and neurodevelopmental health supports across Eastern Ontario,” Josée Blackburn, director of Kids Come First Health Team, said in a press release. “This new team will bridge a critical gap in trauma-informed care and demonstrate the power of collaboration within the Kids Come First Team.”

The youth-focused MCRT is set to launch in early 2026.