Moving on Mental Health

Navigating the child and youth mental health (CYMH) system can be challenging and exhausting. Families often don’t know where to seek help, and when they do find help, they find themselves repeating their story many times before connecting with the right service or program.

In 2012, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) decided that it was time for a change – it was time to make CYMH services in communities across Ontario more accessible, responsive and coordinated in order to better meet the needs of children, youth and families. That year MCYS launched Moving on Mental Health (MOMH), a strategy to strengthen community-based systems and transform the experiences of children, youth and families so that wherever they live in Ontario, they can access the same core mental health services and have clear pathways to care.

Lead Agency

MCYS introduced a Lead Agency model, whereby the Lead Agency would assume responsibility for the MCYS CYMH service system in its service area. To support this process, MCYS appointed 33 lead agencies to be responsible for CYMH service delivery in each of their respective communities, and in April 2018 North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services (NEOFACS) was selected to be the lead agency for the Districts of Cochrane and Timiskaming.

In order to achieve the goals of MOMH, NEOFACS as lead agency must work at two levels to ensure that 1) core services are delivered in the Cochrane/Timiskaming service area and 2) Cochrane/Timiskaming’s community-based sector works together with healthcare providers, schools, and other organizations to support the mental health needs of children, youth and families. The annual Core Service Delivery Report and Community Mental Health Report outline how this work will be achieved in the Cochrane-Timiskaming area.

For updates on our progress to date, please review the progress reports and planning documents available below. Questions and other feedback can be submitted to info@neofacs.org.

For updated information about MOMH provincially, please visit the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) website and review the 2021 MOMH Provincial Priorities Report.

To learn more about Ontario's child and youth mental health system, visit ontario.ca/youthmentalhealth.