Karen Gray (Photo courtesy Office of the Child and Youth Advocate)
The Child and Youth Advocate expects to release a report on access to mental health services as it relates to the age grouping under her domain in a few months’ time.
Karen Gray recently completed a report into protective services for young people on the basis of cases against convicted sex offender Bruce Escott and his co-accused, Tony Humby. His fate has yet to be decided by the courts.
Gray, who has been reviewing the system for the past several months, says young people and children face significant challenges when it comes to accessing mental health services. And that could be for several reasons.
“We’re talking about huge wait times for assessments, we’re talking about continuity of care, can a child see somebody over a period of time and will that be the same person, or are they seeing a different person every time they require help with a mental health issue,” says Gray.