Grant: Cat Gr: Standards for Children & Youth Mental Health Serv. - community settings

Recent attention in both research and practice has identified and begun to explore the mental health needs amongst Black youth globally as well as within Canada. However, little is known about mental health standards for Black youth in the community context including community organizations and services, in primary care settings such as clinics and hospitals, and in the educational system. The purpose of this study is to identify and map mental health standards for Black youth in Canada and globally, and suggest potential improvements. We will conduct a synthesis of current literature on mental health standards in community, primary care, and educational settings. Next, we will conduct focus group interviews with Black youths, aged 16 to 25 years and living in eight locations across Canada. Findings from the literature synthesis on mental health standards for Black youth will be shared with participating Black youths. These focus group participants will be invited to disclose their thoughts on the findings and any improvements that can be made to mental health standards for Black youth. Findings from this study will be shared through academic conference presentations, presentations to policymakers at all levels of government in Canada, publications in peer-reviewed academic journals, and policy and practice briefs. This study will contribute to identifying existing mental health standards for Black youth, gaps in standards, and areas for improvement. Given the need to further understand and address mental health amongst Black youth in Canada, this study will build an understanding of existing standards that is essential to move forward, and will offer improvements to standards that can be applied to mental health policy and practice in Canada.