With the first webinar training as well as the first workshop in Thunder Bay under its belt, the Working with Children and Youth with Complex Mental Health Needs Project is out of the gate. Dr. Greg Lodenquai of George Hull Centre for Children and Families and Roberta Bustard of Children’s Mental Health Ontario brought their extensive experience and wealth of knowledge to the first webinar on October 2, 2014, which was focused on how children and youth might develop “complex” mental health needs. Bustard also talked about the systems transformation that is being led by the Ministry of Child and Youth Services. The webinar had nearly 200 registrants and was well attended. For those who missed the live event, the full recording of the webinar is now available on the project website.
In addition, the first regional workshop called ‘Looking Through a Trauma Lens: An Introduction to Working with Children, Youth and Their Families in the Context of Traumatic Experiences’ was held in Thunder Bay on October 8-9. Janine Lawford and Erica Watson from the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre delivered the interactive workshop material, balancing theory with rich narratives from their professional practice. It was well attended by local service providers from across sectors of child and youth services, youth justice, education, housing and community services, healthcare, and government.
Overall, the project’s training opportunities are proving to be in high demand. The workshops are already full for Toronto and London and the webinar series is 99 percent registered.
For those who are unable to attend the live sessions, all nine webinars will be recorded and made available on the project website. Under the ‘webinar series’ section, simply click on the webinar you would like to view and the link to the recording will be at the top of the page.