Learn more about the Child and Youth Community Health model.
1. What is the Child and Youth Community Health Model?
The Child and Youth Community Health Model is a child-centered approach to health care that helps children and youth get access to needed supports and get timely care.
Government departments, Conseil scolaire francophone provincial, and Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services will collaborate as teams across health care, child care, school, and community settings.
The implementation plan is still in development and there will be future opportunities for input from families, stakeholders, and professionals.
2. What are the changes?
Phase One
The first phase of the service improvements will be navigation enhancements provided in partnership with 211.
Parents, youth, educators, and health professionals will be able to contact 211 via phone, text, and web to receive assistance with navigating health care, education, and community programs. 211 staff will provide information on available services and provide screening to ensure children and youth are connected to the proper services, including assessments for complex needs.
Phase Two
The second phase of the service improvements will consist of children and youth being assessed by professionals with experience in child health using evidence-based assessment tools to determine:
• What services are needed.
• The intensity of services required.
• The appropriate care path.
When CorCare, The provincial health information system, launches in the spring, it will include a central intake with improved and integrated pathways to access care and enhanced documentation to reduce unnecessary duplication of assessments.
The department and NL Health Services anticipate these phases to be established this winter and next spring, respectively.
3. How is this model different than the current ways children and youth are supported?
The current systems have supports and services that often operate independently of one another, and lack coordination or alignment. Waitlists are long and hard to manage. Families and caregivers express frustration trying to navigate the system and access care.
This new model will help address this by:
• Helping care providers and parents connect to services and resources.
• Enhancing the screening and assessment process so information is reviewed earlier and services are provided earlier at the right level and in the right sequence.
• Delivering services through child and youth community health teams, where service providers work together and families can access supports across home, child care, school, and community settings.
4. How do you define child and youth community health teams? Who is involved?
Child and youth community health teams will include staff from government departments and agencies that focus on children and youth, such as Families and Affordability, Education and Early Childhood Development, Health and Community Services, Conseil scolaire francophone provincial and NL Health Services.
Teams will be made up of health, social and education professionals who are specialized in helping children, youth, and families. Services will be available where children and youth spend time: at home, in child care, in school and in the community. Teams will work together to provide:
• Supportive services for children and youth, such as case management and home support.
• Provincial autism services and supports, such as autism diagnostics and targeted interventions for social communication and behaviour.
• Mental health, behavioural, and social emotional supports, such as brief services, crisis support, specialized and intensive treatment, counselling and therapy, and family capacity and support.
• Developmental health services to support physical, communication, social-emotional and learning challenges.
5. Will this model decrease wait times for services?
When the model is operational, it will decrease wait times for services by having all referrals go through a single point of contact.
This process ensures that requests are organized and reviewed in a timely way, necessary screening and assessments are completed, and children and young people get the appropriate service, or services, at the right level and in the right sequence to support their needs.
6. How long will it take to implement the model?
Consultation is required to refine and implement the model. This process will begin in the coming weeks, and we anticipate that the model will be implemented in phases over the course of 18 months to two years. We will be providing support to clinicians, staff, and community partners throughout the process.
7. Who will be consulted? Will there be public consultations?
Engagement with children, youth, and those who care for them is a very important part of this process and there will be opportunities for feedback. Government will determine consultation processes as part of the implementation of the model. We also look forward to working with Indigenous partners to implement a model that ensures culturally sensitive and inclusive care.
8. How will this impact children and youth who have already been on waitlists?
Current waitlist processes will remain in place until the new system has been developed.
9. How will we know if this model is successful improving outcomes for children?
Once implemented, the model will be assessed to ensure it is meeting the needs of children and youth. Additionally, the 10-year study of children’s health outcomes will provide data to guide decisions going forward.
10. How can children, youth, and their families and caregivers get supports while the Child and Youth Community Health model is being developed and implemented?
Children, youth, and families who have questions or concerns about their health care are encouraged to discuss them directly with their care team or contact the Client Relations Office at: client.relations@nlhealthservices.ca or by phone in their respective zones at:
• Eastern: 709-777-6500 (toll free 1-877-444-1399)
• Central: 709-292-2272 (toll-free 1- 888-799-2272)
• Western: 1-833-784-6802
• Labrador-Grenfell: 1-833-505-1178
If your concern is regarding supports in child care or related to Family Resource Centers, please contact EDUcommunityrelations@gov.nl.ca. If your concern is regarding supports at school, please connect with your child/youth’s school and/or their program planning team.