Conceptualized in 2020 by the provincial Lead Agency Consortium, 31 infant, child and youth mental health agencies came together to map out the vision for a big, bold idea that would transform the sector. At full implementation, One Stop Talk/Parlons maintnenant (OST/PM) will provide immediate access to clinical excellence in solution-focused brief services anywhere in Ontario. It will also support clients and families in navigating to the most appropriate agency and service model, should that be required. Ultimately, OST/PM will deliver a provincial, scalable, consistent approach to service delivery while acting as a welcoming front door to child and youth mental health in Ontario. This presentation will focus on how this bold and innovative initiative has changed how children, youth and their families access mental health services across the province.
Presenters:
Kirsten Dougherty
Janet McCrimmon is a strategic, transformative leader with over 20 years of senior leadership experience in not-for-profits. Since 2016, she has served as Executive Director of Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre, which amalgamated with East Metro Youth Services to form Strides Toronto in 2020. Previously, Janet was the founding Executive Director of Community Organizational Health Inc. (COHI), a provincial organization accrediting community health centres across Ontario. Janet was later part of a consulting team that completed a business feasibility study resulting in COHI transforming to become the Canadian Centre for Accreditation, a national non-profit that accredits nine different types of organizations today. Janet has also served as Director, Building Inclusive Communities at Family Service Toronto (FST), a department that provided developmental services to adults and children as well as a range of community development programs, and as FST’s Director, Research, Evaluation and Planning. Her prior roles include work in a community health centre, a violence against women shelter and two years volunteering in Africa as Non-Formal Learning Advisor with ActionAid Sierra Leone.
David Willis, the Executive Director of Keystone Child and Youth Family Services, has over 25 years of leadership within children’s mental health. In his past role at Strides Toronto, David was the Senior Director of Toronto’s Lead Agency for Infant, Child and Youth Mental Health with a focus on System Transformation. David led a team in supporting 26 Children’s Mental Health agencies across Toronto in building pathways of care that reduce barriers, increase access and promote the continuum of mental health care and services across the lifespan. He led the organization and the sector in transformational work re-imaging Intensive Services, Centralized Intake and most recently developing the new provincial One Stop Talk Virtual Walk-In program. He holds many years of experience developing relationships with funders, donors, stakeholders, and others who want to partner in building a sustainable, effective, and accessible Children’s Mental Health sector.
