Thursday, May 7 marks National Child and Youth Mental Health Day — a day on which caring adults are encouraged to make connections with children and youth in their lives. In the spirit of this day, the Children’s Health Policy Centre encourages all health practitioners who suspect a mental disorder in a child to conduct a comprehensive assessment involving both the young person and their parents or caregiver. For more information, see Vol. 2, No. 3 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

Child maltreatment is a serious (and preventable) form of adversity — that nevertheless affects different children differently. Most children who have been maltreated actually experience good to moderate mental health despite their experiences. For those who struggle, however, proven interventions can address the most common associated mental health concerns — including anxiety, conduct disorder, substance use and depression. But the first step, always, is to stop the maltreatment and make sure children are safe. For more information, see Vol. 12, No. 3 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly. 

When a young person has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), parents will often take steps to try to reduce their child’s distress, such as helping them avoid feared situations. But these well-intentioned efforts may actually worsen the OCD, making it more entrenched. Practitioners can help — by teaching parents how to help children overcome their fears by facing them. For more information, see Vol. 8, No. 2 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

More than half of participants in the BC Healthy Connections Project (BCHCP) reported having a limited education, meaning they had not completed high school or the equivalent. For those age 14–19 years, 69% had not completed high school; for those age 20–24 years, 38% had not completed this milestone. By comparison, approximately 11% of BC girls and young women in the general population (under age 25) typically do not complete high school.

Thursday, April 2, 2019 marks the twelfth annual World Autism Awareness Day. Hundreds of thousands of landmarks, buildings, homes and communities around the world will shine with blue light in recognition of people living with autism.

A qualitative study by the Children’s Health Policy Centre, published in 2015 in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders described the challenges facing both parents and policymakers with respect to autism. The findings suggested that there is an emerging consensus on improving autism services in Canada—which should greatly benefit children. Read the paper here.

Roughly one in 10 Canadian children live with a parent who struggles with problematic substance use. Practitioners can help these families by addressing both substance use and parenting. For example, parent-focused programs can lead to children having significantly fewer alcohol or cannabis problems many years after their parents complete treatment. For more information, see Vol. 8, No. 1 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

While Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) has proven highly successful in the US, every country is different. So now, other countries around the world are evaluating the program to see how well it works in their jurisdictions, too. In addition to Canada, these other countries include the Netherlands and England, who have both completed studies, while Norway and Australia are currently exploring the program’s feasibility. The English trial had negative findings, although the trial in the Netherlands was positive — underscoring the importance of completing the BC trial to learn how to really benefit children and mothers here.

When children cannot live with their parents, the option of living with family — or kinship care — should be explored. Compared to typical foster care, kinship care can lead to improved child well-being, fewer childhood mental disorders and fewer placement changes. For more information, see Vol. 8, No. 3 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

Public health nurses receive intensive education before delivering Nurse-Family Partnership — so they can bring strong skills to the program and also tailor it to the individual to build rapport. For example, nurses meet in the settings of the mother’s own choosing — her home or another place that feels safe for her. Choices like this allow the mother to experience greater convenience — and to develop trust and a close relationship with the nurse.