Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Children's mental health services are failing Ontario's children and families (Canada) Ontario Public Service Employees Union press release - "Twelve years of funding cuts have created major gaps in services for some of our most vulnerable children, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) said in a report released today, highlighting the problems plaguing children's mental health services. The report, entitled Kids Matter, reflecting the experiences of frontline workers and the families they serve, has been endorsed by Children's Mental Health Ontario. An estimated 558,000 or 18 percent of Ontario children under age 19 have a diagnosable mental health disorder. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. Children in distress are waiting up to a year for mental health treatment." See also the full report at the OPSEU web site