WIXLIB

amplifyimpact2017-2018 REPORT

In 2010, organizations from differentsectors in Ottawa came together throughthe Community Suicide Prevention Network(CSPN) with the intention of working in amore collaborative way to prevent suicide.“ Suicide and suicide attempts are symptoms of a veryserious medical illness and the Community SuicidePrevention Network has been instrumental in bringingthe community together to support everyone working toaddress this important health problem. As the ClinicalDirector of Youth Psychiatry at The Royal, I am honouredto work with the colleagues and families brought togetherAMPLIFYby the CSPN.”– Dr. Gail Beck, Clinical Director, Youth Psychiatry, The RoyalcollaborationAt the helm from the beginning were Co-Chairs George Weber and Joanne Lowe, whobrought a breadth of understanding of the mental health community in Ottawa. Withthis, they pulled the community together, and lead by example – showing personalcommitment of time and energy to support numerous collaborations and initiatives.Fast forward to today, and the CSPN is a facilitator working to support the variousorganizations in Ottawa that are leading efforts to prevent suicide in Ottawa. These are indifferent phases of progress. Projects like the implementation of Sources of Strength, arein full force with a complete evaluation showing promising results. Other initiatives, likean online video series about peer support, are ready to launch by the fall of 2018, and aninitiative relating to postvention is currently underway.A key priority for Joanne and George in 2017, was to engage two new leaders: and onthis, the CSPN steering committee is pleased to introduce and welcome Tim Simboli,Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association, and Joanne Bezzubetz,Vice-President of Patient Care Services at The Royal, as the new Co-Chairs of the CSPN.We could not achieve these outcomes without the contributions of CSPN partners andfunders. Thank you for the work you do and for your contributions to prevent suicideamong youth in Ottawa.Our funders are the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, the City of Ottawa (OttawaPublic Health), the Youth Services Bureau, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario,and the Royal Ottawa Health Group (The Royal).IN 2017-201867 ORGANIZATIONSWERE MEMBERS OF THE CSPN1138 CONTACTS ATTENDEDCSPN MEETINGS AND EVENTSWelcome to the new CSPN Co-Chairs,Joanne Bezzubetz and Tim Simboli.

AMPLIFY THEresponseIn 2017, CSPN members built on Ottawa’s growing momentum to work collaboratively. With aChild and Youth Mental Health developed a series of online videos to increase understanding offocus on improving how we respond when a child, youth or young adult reaches out for help,youth peer support, with the aim of strengthening youths’ skills to help others, while also caringCSPN partners expanded their reach, and developed new initiatives.for themselves. The videos, created in 2017, were informed by a working group of youth leadersParents Lifelines of Eastern Ontario- one of the first initiatives endorsed by CSPN partners- providesand members of the CSPN. These will be released by the fall of 2018.peer support to families with a child, youth or young adult experiencing mental health orWith each sad death by suicide, our community comes together to support the people who areaddiction challenges. PLEO offers services across the city, and throughout the Champlain LHINimpacted, to try to understand how it could have been prevented, and to discuss how to stopwith a bilingual, confidential, telephone helpline, monthly support groups, and mobile one-on-onefuture deaths. In 2017, many of the organizations involved in these discussions formed a workingsupports. With services and a catchment area that have continued to grow since its inception,group to develop tools to improve our collective responses to suicide. These will be shared widelyPLEO is a good example of sustainable, collaborative action in building a thriving service. PLEOduring their development, which will take place throughout 2018.acknowledges all partners who continue to collaborate to make this initiative so successful, andto organizations like Crossroads Children Centre and The Royal who were essential to the launchof these services.Early intervention can reduce the risk of suicide among youth. When families feel supportedand know where to access services for their child or youth, their chances for a positive outcomeare increased.As a compliment to the work of PLEO, and in supporting caregivers to navigate the mental healthThis work builds on the ongoing efforts by the Suicide Prevention Coalition’s, Post SuicideSupport Team that provides structured group sessions for non-family members after a suicide.The aim is to create a safe, confidential setting where survivors can share thoughts and feelings,and learn about stress reactions and community resources.Together we can amplify impact: you are invited to link-in to these actions, and the CSPN isavailable to support in mobilizing activities, ideas and initiatives relating to suicide preventionamong young people in Ottawa.system, CSPN partners delivered several mental health literacy campaigns using FacebookLive videos throughout 2017. These continue to be available for streaming through the CSPNsFacebook page. Videos engaged local experts to explain what to watch for, what to do and whereto access services if you are concerned about a child, youth or young adult who is struggling withthoughts of suicide.Another ongoing initiative that aims to enhance our community’s capacity to respond when youthare struggling was geared to youth who deliver peer support. The Ontario Centre of Excellence forIN 2017-2018PLEO reached 422through the helplineFAMILIESPLEO engaged 335 FAMILIESthrough their support groups13, 133 CONTACTS viewedCSPN Facebook Livestream events,with 59 PEOPLE sharing our videos

Sources of Strength is a peer-to-peer resiliency promoting program being rolled out in22 schools in Ottawa. Ten cross-sectoral organizations worked together to implementSources of Strength in 2017.Thanks to the conscientious work of the Sources of Strength leaders – that’s peers,teachers, guidance counselors, school staff, administrators, school boards and trainers –campaigns to encourage help seeking and support youth to develop personal strengthsreached 38,434 contacts in the 2016/2017 school year!A key component of the program is for adult advisors to support peer leaders as theydeliver campaigns for youth in schools. Campaigns focus on getting youth to talk abouttheir strengths, to name trusted adults, and to commit to breaking codes of silenceabout suicide.Of the 558 peer leaders involved in the Sources of Strength program in Ottawa in 2017,113 participated in an outcome-based evaluation. Of these, 94% reported that if theywere really upset and needed help, they believe a counselor or adult at the school couldhelp them. Within this same group, 87% said they know of adults who could help afriend who is thinking of suicide, and 77% said they would talk to a counselor or otheradult at the school if they themselves were struggling. This bodes well considering thedata from the last Ottawa Student Drug Use and Health Report, stated that 71% of highschool students who seriously considered suicide did not know where to turn for help*(Ottawa Public Health, 2014).AMPLIFYresilience“ Sources of Strength hasgiven me an understandingof the people and thingsI can turn to when I’mstruggling. It helps me tohave more of a positivemindset and has given me agreater sense of belongingat my school.”– P eer Leader, Sources of Strength,Ottawa, 2017IN THE LASTSCHOOL YEARSCHOOLS ENGAGED558 STUDENTS AS PEERLEADERS IN SOURCES OF STRENGTHSCHOOLS SUPPORTED PEER LEADERSTO DELIVER 112CAMPAIGNSPEER LEADERS MADE38,434 CONTACTSTHROUGH THEIR CAMPAIGNSThe schools that have a Sources of Strength club as of 2017 are:Ottawa Carleton District School Board1. Glebe Collegiate Institute2. West Carleton Secondary School3. Rideau High School4. Lisgar Collegiate Institute5. Nepean High School6. Brookfield High School7. Woodroffe High School8. Richard Pfaff Alternate Program9. AY Jackson High School10. South Carleton High School11. Sir Robert Borden High School12. Gloucester High School13. Canterbury High School14. Cairine Wilson High SchoolOttawa Catholic School Board1. St. Joseph’s High School2. Lester B Pearson High School3. Sacred Heart High School4. Notre Dame High School5. Holy Trinity High School6. St. Mark’s High School7. Youville CentreConseil des écoles publiquesde l’Est de l’Ontario1. É cole secondaire publiqueGiselle-Lalonde*O ttawa Public Health. Ottawa Student Drug Use and HealthReport, 2014. Ottawa (ON): Ottawa Public Health; 2014

Members of the CSPN include:CSPN STEERINGCOMMITTEE MEMBERSOttawa Bullying PreventionCoalitionBruyère FamilyMedicine CentreOttawa Carleton DistrictSchool BoardCanadian Mental HealthAssociation- Co-ChairOttawa Inuit Children’sCentreCHEOPLEOPsychiatric Survivorsof OttawaYouth NetYouville CentreKNOWLEDGEMOBILIZATION TEAMUniversity of OttawaBrain and Mind ResearchInstituteHealth CanadaInuit Tapiriit KanatamiYouth Services BureauJewish Family Servicesof OttawaADDITIONAL CSPNMEMBERSMaryhomes IncUniversity of OttawaSchool of Epidemiologyand Public Health,University of OttawaCouncillor Allan HubleyOttawa Public HealthMental Health Commissionof CanadaYouth NetCHEOLa CitéOttawa Police ServicesMétis Nation of OntarioDIFDCrossroads Children’sCentreThe Post IncidentSupport NetworkFae Johnstone- YouthLeaderBereaved Family of Ontario:Ottawa RegionMinistry of Children andYouth ServicesThe Post SuicideSupport TeamYouth Services Bureau,members of the PurpleSisters Youth AdvisoryCommitteeAlliance to EndHomelessness OttawaMunea Wadud – YouthLeaderCentre for Addictions andMental Health: OttawaOttawa Catholic SchoolBoardUniversity of OttawaPLEOCentretown CommunityHealth CentreThe Ottawa Child andYouth Initiative –Growing Up GreatChamplain Local HealthIntegration NetworkUpstream OttawaOttawa Police ServicesOttawa Public HealthPLEOThe Ottawa HospitalWestern OttawaCommunity ResourcesCentre- Co-ChairPEER SUPPORT WORKINGGROUP MEMBERSYouth Services BureauCentre of Excellence forChild and Youth MentalHealth- Co-ChairPOSTVENTION WORKINGGROUP MEMBERSCharlie Reveler- YouthAdvisorAlgonquin CollegeCHEOThe Royal- Co-ChairCanadian Mental HealthAssociationFae Johnstone- YouthAdvisorCentre of Excellence forChild and Youth MentalHealthKamill Santafe- YouthAdvisorCHEOCrossroads Children CentreMontfort HospitalOttawa Inuit Children’sCentreSamar El Faki- YouthAdvisorSOURCES OF STRENGTHIMPLEMENTATION TEAMBig Brothers and BigSisters of OttawaThe RoyalCatholic District SchoolBoard of Eastern OntarioYouth Services BureauConseil des écoles publiquede l’Est de l’OntarioSchool of Epidemiologyand Public Health,University of OttawaEastern Ottawa, WesternOttawa and OrleansCumberland CommunityResources CentresOttawa CatholicSchool BoardOttawa Carleton DistrictSchool BoardOttawa Public HealthRideauwood Addictionand Family ServicesSomerset West CommunityHealth CentreRESEARCH ACTION AREACarleton UniversityCentre of Excellencefor Child and YouthMental HealthChildren’s Aid Societyof OttawaCoalition of CommunityHealth and ResourceCentres of OttawaCHEO Research InstituteOffice of the Chief Coronerof Ontario – EasternRegional SupervisingCoroner’s OfficeOttawa Carleton DistrictSchool BoardDistress Centre, Ottawaand RegionOttawa Catholic SchoolBoardEastern Ontario YouthJustice AgencyOttawa Public HealthFamily Services OttawaThe Royal’s Institute forMental Health ResearchHawkesbury GeneralHospitalMontfort HospitalOttawa CommunityImmigrant ServicesOrganization (OCISO)Queensway CarletonHospitalRéseau des services desanté en françaisRoberts Smart CentreSaint Paul UniversityUnited WayUniversité de Quebec à HullValorisWabano Centre forAboriginal HealthYouturn Youth SupportServices211