Grant: Other: IYS-Net Phase 2 - Provincial Stream Grants

Integrated Youth Services (IYS) is a care model which aims to improve youth's access to high-quality, effective mental health and substance use (MHSU) services. In Ontario, the IYS Initiative is known as Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO). YWHO has developed a comprehensive plan to engage youth, families and service providers to build the necessary expertise and resources to establish data priorities, strengthen the quality of data in the IYS Network, and enhance the capacity of meaningful data contributions from YWHO to the Federated IYS Data Platform (FIDP). FIDP will facilitate sharing data across IYS networks, including the AOM Indigenous Youth Mental Health and Wellness Network. Provincially, this initiative will involve building a team of data specialists and knowledge mobilization experts to collaborate with IYS networks to generate new, valuable insights on youth MHSU. A data framework will be co-developed with youth, family, and community end users, to strengthen YWHO's Learning Health System (LHS) and increase capacity for meaningful contributions to the FIDP. Important resources will enhance YWHO's data systems, including user-friendly, customizable dashboards that will help YWHO track progress on key youth health and service delivery indicators across the participating hubs in Ontario. Engagement with youth and family will be guided by principles of ethical community engagement, including empowerment, cultural sensitivity and accessibility. This initiative seeks to engage youth and families to enhance IYS data processes to ensure that their preferences and goals will be prioritized. YWHO will work with the FIDP to ensure that diverse youth data will be collected, brought together and analyzed in a timely and thorough manner, in collaboration with youth. This initiative will generate new knowledge on youth MHSU to enhance capacity in IYS networks, and will improve decision-making processes, enhance the LHS and strengthen collaboration throughout Canada.