The Qualicum School District is in the process of hiring staff for its new Integrated Child and Youth (ICY) team.
The teams bring together systems and people dedicated to supporting youth into one group, as part of the B.C. government initiative designed to connect children, youth and families to mental-health and addiction services. They stem from the province's Pathway of Hope strategy, a road map for improving access to mental health and addictions care.
The school district has hired a team lead and the next step is to hire a clinical counsellor and a peer support worker, according to Gillian Wilson, associate superintendent of schools.
“One of the things that they’re recognizing is that it’s really difficult for children or youth to be able to receive support where they have to keep going back and sharing the same story over and over again with different people," Wilson said during her report to the Board of Education's Sept. 24 meeting. "So the ICY is about wrapping around that support and teens and youth don’t have to keep sharing their stories."
The team will be accessible by all children and youth up to the age of 19 living in the Qualicum School District, regardless of whether they are enroled in the school system, Wilson added.
Island Health will hire more members for the multidisciplinary team, which will be based out of the Winchelsea Learning Centre in Parksville.
ICY teams are community-based and offer wraparound services and supports, intended to make it easier for children and youth to connect to care.
“They work towards making sure that it’s culturally safe. There is an Indigenous education support person that is connected," Wilson added.
The team is connected with Family Smart and a family support worker, described as a person who can provide peer support support to families, children and youth with mental health or addictions issues.
The Qualicum School District was added to the program in phase 3, which will be the last wave of communities to receive an ICY team, Wilson said.
Board chair Eve Flynn asked if the situation could change with a potential new government in the B.C. Legislature.
Wilson said she believes it is “highly unlikely” the team will cease its work due to a change in government.
“We have a crisis with substance use, we have a crisis with mental health," she added.
