Canada needs to substantially increase public investments in effective interventions to improve the mental health of children.

That was one of the key messages from a June 19/23 talk by Christine Schwartz, psychologist, SFU adjunct professor and Children’s Health Policy Centre scientific writer.

She was speaking to policy-makers, practitioners and researchers at a talk sponsored by the Children’s Healthcare Canada network.

The 30-minute Zoom presentation, followed by a Q&A session, was part of the SPARK program, designed to showcase knowledge, evidence and expertise to spark conversations, ideas and action.

“Effective collaborations between researchers and policy-makers can play a tremendous role in advancing the wellbeing of children,” Schwartz told the group. Audience members were especially interested in learning how CHPC team members have been able to conduct research that is both academically rigorous and responsive to the needs of policy-makers.

Go here to see a recording of the presentation.