It Matters to Me: Informing Youth Services Delivery

IT MATTERS TO ME: INFORMING YOUTH SERVICES DELIVERY 16 focussed on the child, where the primary care service provider rarely included the youth or their family in the care plan (Chovil, 2009). Focussed groups on the topic of Informing the Design of a YISH, that included 140 school- aged Surrey youth, reported challenges for youth accessing health supports were contributed to issues related to transportation, cost, the lack of awareness on how to access help, limited hours of services, stigma of engaging in services, and long waitlist (City of Surrey, in press). As a result, these young people shared that they are struggling with debilitating issues associated with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. The implementation of a coordinated, one-stop-shop approach to supporting young people, where families are included as experts in the decision making, is the preferred evidence-based model that has been shifting the practices of youth service delivery in communities within BC, across Canada, and throughout the world (Ziemann, 2019). This worldwide system-change movement is based on the premise that services for youth are delivered in an integrated approach by multi-community service providers while empowering youth and their families to inform service plans (Chovil, 2009). This approach has also significantly impacted the issue of young people waiting long periods of time to access required (BC-IYSI Working Group, 2015). This approach has been practiced in various communities all over the world, such as Australia’s Headspace, Frances’ les des Adolescents, Ireland’s Jigsaw, New Zealand’s Youth One Stop Shops, United States’ Allcove Centres, Ontario’s Youth Wellness Hubs, and Foundry BC (Ziemann, 2019). All of these initiatives are categorized as youth integrated services hubs (YISH), which are guided by a universal framework. According to the BC-IYSI Working Group (2015), this framework includes:

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