B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth is calling on the province’s new Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions to develop a comprehensive children’s mental health program for the province.
That’s the key recommendation of a new report from the office of Bernard Richard into the death of a 17-year-old boy who took his own at the BC Children’s Hospital in 2015.
His death came at the end of a four-month stay at the facility.
The teen, identified only by the pseudonym “Joshua,” was like many other teenagers. He loved his cat and dreamed of having his own family one day, according to the report.
But Joshua also struggled with mental illness, first saying he wanted to die at just eight years old.
The report found that while Joshua received a lot of care, his case has exposed a number of holes in the system providing mental health support for youth.
“Those gaps are systemic and they must be filled,” said Richard in a statement.
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“Our child and youth mental health system must be made truly comprehensive – otherwise young people will continue to fall through the cracks.”
The report found Joshua’s 122-day stay at the hospital resulted in part from social workers and mental health professionals’ inability to agree on where he could live safely after discharge.
Richard’s office found a lack of appropriate placement options for youth with mental health issues, challenges for families in obtaining long-term mental health services for their kids, and a lack of a single point of accountability for the delivery of youth mental health to be key challenges that must be overcome.
The report further points to an “urgent” need for “step down” services that would allow youth to ease out of the hospital setting and back into their communities.
Richard interviewed 43 people about Joshua’s life and said, ultimately, he’s not sure anything could have prevented this specific tragedy.
Mental Health and Addictions minister Judy Darcy said she welcomes the report.
“We absolutely agree that we need to collaborate across government and across service providers that provides families like Joshua’s with the full range of services they need,” she said.
The report recommends a coordination plan be in place by next year, to be implemented within two years.
Read the full report:
Missing Pieces: Joshua’s Story by CKNW980 on Scribd
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