Child and Youth Mental Health Network

Terms of Reference

Mission Statement

The CYMHN is a leadership forum dedicated to sustaining, supporting and enhancing a strong service system for child and youth served by organizations responding to vulnerable and at-risk children youth and families funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.

Functions:

The CYMHN’s goal is to develop community capacity regarding at risk children, youth and family issues by:

  • Developing and supporting the service system
    • Addressing service delivery issues related to common clients
    • Developing strategy for common issues
    • Facilitating cross-organization approaches
  • Supporting Partnerships and co-ordination
    • Complement other planning and co-ordinating bodies for children and youth
    • Establishing effective communication links with other planning bodies i.e. exchange of minutes; cross-representation; common training and education activities
    • Developing creative partnerships in service delivery and resource sharing
    • Supporting issues raised by co-ordination mechanisms such as co-ordinated access and Young Single Parents Network directly related to mutual mandates
  • Providing a collective voice/advocacy
    • Analysis of current issues and development of response related to common mandate and clients
    • Leveraging participation and influence of Board members
    • Being proactive and reactive to common issues
    • Linking with provincial organizations on issues
  • Providing advice on request to the MCYS
    • On policy, service issues, funding directions and service approaches
  • Developing leadership within the sector
    • Fostering leadership through training and learning opportunities
  • Providing Opportunities for communication and information exchange
    • Sharing information on critical issues, service modification and organizational change processes within membership agencies and the sector.

Membership

The membership of the CYMHN is made up of CEOs or equivalent of agencies/programs, which receive a transfer payment of funds in whole or in part from MYCS to deliver core, targeted and intensive services to vulnerable at-risk children, youth and families.

All members who serve on the committee should have the authority of their respective agency to represent their service in any decision-making process by the network.

Members are expected to be in attendance at 75% of the meetings in order that they can fulfill the role of an active participant.

Requests of Membership will brought forward to the group at a regular meeting for consideration and approval.  They will be selected based upon the established criteria for membership.

Membership will be reviewed annually at the first meeting in September.

Committee Structure

Working Groups will be established as needed.

The Group is Accountable to:

Respective Boards of Directors and the collective group

Chairperson

A chair and vice chair will be appointed annually at the first meeting of the year (usually September), with the intent that the two positions will share the responsibilities for chairing the meetings and administrative tasks generated by the committee.

Meeting guidelines

  • Notes of the meeting will be maintained unless it is agreed by the membership that a formal record is required.
  • Decisions of the group will be made by consensus.  If consensus cannot be reached the chair will call a vote.  All in attendance will have a vote and the majority of those members present will determine the decision.
  • Meetings will be held monthly at least eight times during the year, unless otherwise determined by the members.
  • Members are expected to participate fully in debates; however, once decisions have been agreed upon it is the members’ responsibility to publicly support those decisions
  • Members are expected to maintain confidentiality regarding the substance of discussions that take place, unless an alternative communication plan is determined.  This will ensure that information is not disclosed in an untimely or inappropriate manner.

Contact Information at February 27, 2009

  • Alex Munter – Youth Services Bureau
  • Barbara McKinnon – Children’s Aid Society
  • Cam McLeod – Roberts/Smart Centre
  • Cherry Murray, Chair – Crossroads Children’s Centre
  • Major Deborah Graves – Salvation Army (Bethany Hope Centre)
  • Irene Bilinsky – Ministry of Children & Youth Services
  • Jessica Florczyk – Emily Murphy Non-profit Housing
  • Jonathan Crosier – M.F.McHugh (OCCSB)
  • Judi Sarginson – Youville Centre
  • Karen Tataryn – Children’s Hospital of Eastern ON
  • Kathy Neff – Eastern ON Young Offenders Services
  • Nancy MacNider – St. Mary’s Home
  • Paul Welsh – Rideauwood Addictions & Family Services
  • Rene-Guy Cantin – Centre psychosocial
  • Sylvie Lalonde – le Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO)