2. The context:  Increase in joint planning between Alberta Health, Alberta Health Services and Human Services  Focus on children/youth involved with Child Intervention Services  Commitment to increased funding to better support these children, youth, their caregivers and our staff

3. 2014: Appointment of a Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health and Addictions to lead the work - Cross Ministry Partnership - Creating an Action Plan - Priorities for Alberta - Identified Need for children in care - Continuation of 2013 funding - Announcement of 2014 funding

4.  Mental ealth Learning Series  Mental Health First Aid  Support to Parent Link Centres  Initial after hours support – launched in Edmonton Crisis Unit

5.  Best Practice Sites: Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer  Mental Health Consultation regarding psychotropic medications and psycho-social interventions: 2 positions serve the province  Assessment and Brief Intervention: Calgary project “Brief Intervention and Caregiver Support” BICS for short.

7.  Calgary’s site is at Hull Homes  Reshaping of the Pre-Adolescent Treatment Program  With additional funding a day treatment / wrap-a-round service has been added to the program  Purpose is to support more children in their family based placement by the provision of treatment support after school, evenings.

8.  Family based care is the environment of choice  Provides the type of support a caregiver needs to develop effective interventions in the home environment with the support of highly skilled professionals from the Hull program  Caregiver is an integral part of the treatment team and is actively involved in planning and implementation of strategies that will work in a home environment  Decreases the impacts of residential care on young children – trauma reduction

9.  Many children involved with child intervention are prescribed psychotropic medications  Ritalin and other ADHD related medications  Anti-psychotic medications  Mood stabilizers  Implementation of treatment plans/strategies recommended by mental health professionals may be a part of a child’s plan  Implementing in a home based environment may require additional support, revision, clarity and skill building on the part of adults involved in supporting the child/youth

10.  Sheena Stevens, BN. RN. CPMHN(c)  Registered Nurse  Certified psychiatric mental health nurse (CPMHN) from the Canadian Nurses Association.  Experience in medical, oncology/ palliative care and adolescent child acute mental health.  Past 3 years at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in-patient mental health unit and at the Foothills Medical Center at the Young Adult Program (YAP) unit 26 in Calgary. Alberta.  Working in partnership with Child and Family Services and Dr. Roxanne Goldade (P-KIC physician lead)

11.  She will be consulting with our staff  You may see her at a P-KIC appointment  She may follow up with you regarding medication trials or new medication responses, medication adjustments that pediatricians have prescribed  You can access Sheena through the child’s caseworker or your foster care/kinship care support worker  Contact information will be forward to Agency foster care and Kinnections this week

12.  A collaboration between Calgary Family Service, Catholic Family Service and Calgary Counselling Centre  Bringing the 3 agencies together allows for a wide range of skill and areas of expertise among the team  One clinician from each agency has been recruited and are currently being trained  Soft launch – a few cases over the summer  September targeted for full implementation

13.  A new approach to caregiver support  Home based early intervention  Trauma/toxic stress reduction  Creating a strong support network for each child and their caregiver  Community focussed  Implementation of individualized profiles and plans

14.  Approximately 3 working days after a child is placed a referral will be made to BICS  The Clinician assigned will contact the caseworker, foster care/kinship support worker and the caregiver  You and the clinician will do an initial screen over the phone to see how the child is doing and using the Green, Yellow, Red approach a plan for an in person first meeting will be made  You will likely get a follow up phone call just to check in and see if there are any emerging issues that might warrant an earlier connection with you

16.  A screening tool focussing on trauma will be completed to obtain a baseline of how the child is coping ◦ ASQ/ASQ SE  age 0-5 ◦ Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children ages 3-12 ◦ Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children  Ages 8-17 ◦ Other screening tools as appropriate

17.  A profile of the child/youth will be created with you and input from others in the child’s support network – family, school, …  If needed a positive behavioral approach plan will be developed or a developmental plan or whatever will best meet the child’s needs and assist with caregiving.  The plan should be transferable to other environments – respite, school, family home  Length of involvement will be flexible and individualized  You can re-enter the program for further support if the need arises

18.  New and needed opportunities for Children’s Mental Health  Priority on children involved with Child Intervention recognizes that coming into care is another traumatic event for a child  The research of the brain, toxic stress and interventions that work is at a critical place to inform this type of work  A team approach is the only approach that works for a child/youth