2023 CMHO
In-Person Conference
November 19 – 21
Marriott Eaton Centre
Advancing quality, equity, and access in child and youth mental health
Coming out of the pandemic, the mental health needs of Ontario’s infants, children, youth, and families have never been greater. Looking back on lessons learned and innovations in service delivery over the pandemic, we have an opportunity as system leaders to come together for a better tomorrow and to co-create a child and youth mental health system that provides timely and equitable access to high-quality mental health care for all Ontario families.
We are excited to be coming together in person again for North America’s largest child and youth mental health conference from November 19-21, 2023! With the goal of building a stronger mental health system for infants, children, and youth, this conference convenes leaders from community-based child and youth mental health centres and key system partners, including those from hospitals, primary care, education, child welfare, youth justice, adult mental health, and youth and families with lived expertise. The conference provides an opportunity to highlight evidence-based practices, share knowledge and experiences, and build on our collective efforts to improve outcomes for infants, children, and youth, together with their families.
Call for Abstracts
Be a part of leading change by submitting a presentation proposal!
The CMHO Conference team is seeking submissions that provide practical examples of how you or your organization have taken bold steps to address a challenging issue related to child and youth mental health and what you learned along the way. Workshops that highlight innovative, evidence-based initiatives and approaches and provide practical takeaways for participants are encouraged.
Conference objectives:
To advance quality, equity and access in child and youth mental health by:
• Showcasing leading research and emerging practices
• Addressing challenges facing the sector and seeking solutions
• Identifying opportunities to lead and collectively influence system change
• Raising the voice of individuals with lived experience and their families
Primary audiences are:
1. Clinical leaders and front-line clinicians working in child and youth mental health
2. Community leaders working in leadership, policy, and governance roles, including executive directors and board members of CYMH agencies
The deadline for submissions is June 23, 2023 at 5:00 pm.
Streams
Quality
Bold new initiatives and innovative practices related to:
- Assessment, outcomes, performance measurement, measurement-based care, and system indicators
- Incorporating youth and/or family voice in the treatment approach and pathways
- Quality improvement
- Building a culture of continuous improvement
- Change management initiatives to foster innovation
- Leadership style and its impact on processes and outcomes
- Board tools and practices to stimulate innovative ideas
- Implementing quality standards
Equity
Bold, new initiatives and innovative practices, broadly or for specific populations, such as:
- Broad Equity Practices
- Applying a social determinants of health lens
- Equity strategies for agency
- Data and governance practices
- Culturally responsive programs and services
- Population Specific
- Complexity or acuity
- Addictions and substance use
- Development stage (infant, school-age, teen, young parents)
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Indigenous populations
- 2SLGBTQ+
- Francophone populations (presentations in French welcome!)
- Racialized communities
- Black communities
- Northern, rural, and remote communities
Access
Bold new initiatives and innovative practices related to:
- Integrating care and supporting better pathways between sectors, such as: primary care, schools, child welfare, hospitals, youth justice, adult mental health/addictions, etc.
- Pathways between care levels/stepped care model
- Centralized access and coordination
- Addressing wait times/lists and supporting timely care
Presentation Formats
Workshop
60-minute presentation + 30 minutes of interaction and discussion
Submission requirements:
- Presentation title
- Learning objectives
- Presenter name(s), organizational affiliation(s), and title(s)/position(s). Please note: Workshops are limited to 4 presenters. Include a short biography (max. 100 words) for each speaker who will participate in the presentation.
- An abstract of your presentation (max. 50 words), which will be used in all conference advertising material.
- Description of the presentation (max. 500 words) including:
- Description of how your presentation fits with the theme of the conference: “Together for Tomorrow: Advancing quality, equity, and access in child and youth mental health”
- Description of how you will engage the audience and how much time will be allotted to audience participation
- Presenters are encouraged to include a lived experience component or perspective where relevant
Poster Presentation
Visual display of a project on a poster board. Poster presenters will have an opportunity to interact with colleagues during refreshment and lunch breaks.
Submission requirements:
- Title
- Learning objectives
- Presenter name, organizational affiliation, and title/position. Please note: The committee is limiting each poster to one presenter. Include a short biography (max. 100 words) for the presenter who will take part in the poster display.
- Description of how your presentation fits with the theme of the conference: “Together for Tomorrow: Advancing quality, equity, and access in child and youth mental health” (max. 300 words). This is the only information used to evaluate your proposal. Please use non-technical, jargon-free language.
- An abstract of your poster presentation (max. 30 words), which will be used in all conference advertising material. Please use clear language!
Registration details and sponsorship opportunities coming soon!
If you have any questions, please reach out to communications@cmho.org.