Hello everyone!
Yesterday, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) released Stepping Up - A Strategic Framework to Help Ontario's Youth Succeed. It identifies 20 evidence-based outcomes and related indicators across seven themes that are important to Ontario’s youth. To focus on enhancing the well-being of young people, MCYS will track these outcomes and indicators every year, and will report annually on the progress.
Once priority outcome in the Strategy is that Ontario youth “feel mentally well”. These will be the indicators that show success:
-> Decrease in proportion of youth who are experiencing symptoms of anxiety/depression
-> Decrease in proportion of youth who are experiencing elevated psychological distress
-> Decrease in proportion of youth who had serious thoughts about suicide in the past year.
Indicators on substance use are also reviewed.
The report presents the current profile looking at the above indicators (as well as many others) beginning on page 98.
http://www.children.gov.on.ca/...ingup/steppingup.pdf
I think it's really exciting that the the provincial government is looking to track these indicators for children and youth over time - it acknowledges the importance of promoting mental health and well being in children and youth. And, it's often said "what gets measured gets done"!
Monica