Gaps found in mental health supports for Alberta kids: report

A report from the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) has found gaps in supports for kids with mental health and developmental conditions.

In Alberta, 40 per cent of parents reported they have at least one child in their household dealing with mental health issues or developmental conditions such as depression, ADHD, autism, anxiety and learning disorders.

Of those parents, 42 per cent report that their child is receiving supports for their condition.

“The needs of children cannot wait,” said AMA president Brian Wirzba in a statement. “Early access to mental health care is critical to long-term outcomes, yet too many children go without it, and often during the very stages when intervention matters most.”

The report found that 53 per cent of parents found ease of accessing initial care in Alberta’s health-care system “bad,” with 58 per cent saying the overall quality of the system in meeting children’s health needs was also “bad.”

“Alberta families are clear about what their children need: faster access to assessments, shorter waits for therapy and referrals and better coordination across the providers involved in their care,” said the statement.

The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions said the province provides a portal to connect individuals, including children, to mental health supports through 211 Alberta. Such services include help lines, counselling, peer support and crisis hotlines.

In a statement to CTV News Edmonton, the ministry said it is amping up its partnership with school-based program CASA Mental Health, bringing the total number of operational classrooms in the province from 28 to 60.

“In these classrooms, students receive individual therapy, group therapy and psychiatric care to support their recovery,” said the statement, adding that live-in and day programming is also available through CASA.

But the AMA said parents have described a “fragmented system” that is difficult to access and harder to navigate.

“Timely access to specialist appointments, ease of navigation and coordination between providers are consistently rated poorly,” said the AMA.

Alberta’s Child and Youth Advocate Terri Pelton said her office has raised concerns of access to services for children with developmental disabilities and mental health concerns.

“I believe a more coordinated, community-level approach, along with culturally appropriate services and supports, will play a vital role in improving outcomes for these vulnerable young people and their families,” said Pelton in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

The AMA’s report was based on an online survey of 1,100 adult Albertans between May 12 and May 19.