Below, you’ll find our planned actions for the 2024-25 school year, as part of the 2022-2025 Mental Health and Addictions Strategic Plan.

All goals and key actions are to be accomplished by June 2025. Various measures of success will be used to track progress, including student feedback. The outcomes and indicators of success are reported directly to the Ministry of Education and School Mental Health Ontario.

Priority #1 – Support Students

  • Enhance and build mental health wealth for students
    • Building students’ “toolbox” to include:
      • Social emotional literacy
      • Resiliency
      • Strategies to enhance well-being

Goal #1

Engage students in identifying mental health learning needs for elementary and secondary students at the WRDSB and respond with evidence-informed and identity affirming resources, information and support.

Key Actions – Goal #1

  • In response to student feedback, share out anxiety resources and supports to secondary students, and their caregivers
  • Collaborate with students to plan the 2024-2025 Student Wellness Conference for Secondary Students
  • Increase understanding of the link between social media/the digital world and mental health and share strategies to navigate the digital world in mentally healthy ways

Goal #2

Provide students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 with curriculum-embedded mental health education to support their social emotional learning and mental health literacy.

Key Actions – Goal #2

  • Support system-wide implementation of the updated mental health literacy components of the Grade 10 Career Studies curriculum
  • Support system-wide sustainment of the Grade 7-8 mental health literacy curriculum
  • Continue to promote SMHO social emotional learning resources in elementary and secondary, including back-to-school transition resources

Goal #3

Collaborate with addictions prevention partners to provide developmentally-appropriate substance use prevention activities to elementary and secondary students.

Key Actions – Goal #3

  • Collaboratively engage with Public Health to launch the vaping and cannabis prevention program with Grade 6 classrooms, and sustain the work already in place for Grades 7-12
  • Provide resources to schools as emerging mental health and addictions priorities arise

Goal #4

Ensure consistent use of PHIPA compliant virtual platforms for virtual care, when needed.

Key Actions – Goal #4

  • Implement the use of WebEx and OTN for any clinical consultations or virtual care with students, caregivers, and community partners

Priority #2 – Equip Staff

Enhance staff learning and well-being to facilitate and implement student mental health literacy and supports.

Goal #1

Select and implement role-appropriate training for staff across the board that supports student mental health and well-being and aligns with WRDSB values, vision and strategic directions.

Key Actions – Goal #1

  • Create a collaborative team to review Suicide First Aid training programs
  • Provide Brief Intervention training to all Social Workers

Goal #2

Equip staff across our system and at all levels of leadership with evidence-informed knowledge and tools to support student well-being and mental health.

Key Actions – Goal #2

  • Provide ongoing opportunities for enhanced educator and staff mental health literacy learning to help foster mentally healthy schools and classrooms
  • Provide mental health literacy and Leading Mentally Healthy Schools resources and training for senior leaders and administrators

Goal #3

Reduce stigma around mental health absences.

Key Actions – Goal #3

  • Review practices related to mental health absences

Priority #3 – Identity-affirming Learning and Care

Ensure that mental health resources are culturally relevant and identity affirming for all students and staff across all tiers of support.

Goal #1

Build intentional relationships and formal partnerships with organizations that support and represent a range of student identities and intersectionalities.

Key Actions – Goal #1

  • Engage in ongoing dialogue with grassroots ethnocultural organizations to foster and then formalize partnerships
  • Partner with trusted community organizations to support students with a range of identities and intersectionalities

Goal #2

Embed culturally responsive and identity affirming perspectives in all mental health and well-being activities.

Key Actions – Goal #2

  • Ensure a culturally responsive and identity-affirming lens is incorporated into all mental health supports, PD and resources.

Priority #4 – Fostering Partnerships

“De-silo” mental health to include a collaborative approach across systems and enhance inclusive community partnerships.

Goal #1

Collaborate with community service providers to improve accessibility to a robust mental health system of care.

Key Actions – Goal #1

  • Work with the Children’s Mental Health Lead Agency, mental health service providers, and ethnocultural grassroots organizations to create clearer and more effective pathways to care
  • Engage in ongoing joint local planning with mental health partners to address gaps and ensure continuity of care

Goal #2

Collaborate across roles and departments within the WRDSB to leverage the diversity of skills and expertise in order to best support student well-being and mental health.

Key Actions – Goal #2

  • Continue working collaboratively across roles and departments within the WRDSB to deliver the highest quality mental health and well-being supports, training, and education to students, educators and caregivers.