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The Forensic Mental Health Services Expert Advisory Panel for the
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Tem Care's December, 2002
final report on the Assessment, Treatment and Community
Reintegration of the Mentally Disordered Offender revealed an
urgent need for improved forensic (i.e., pertaining to the courts)
mental health services. The experts urged that health, social
service and judicial service systems work together to meet their
Ministries' shared goals, and develop a long range plan for
delivery of forensic mental health services -- a plan that will
enhance the quality of services, quality of life for clients,
public safety and systemic efficiencies.
The provision of efficient and effective services ensures that
Ontario's mental health system best meets the needs of all people
with serious mental illness, and is integral to Mental Health
Reform. The reformed mental health system includes people,
commonly identified as "forensic clients" who have multiple and
complex overlapping needs relating to aggression, legal status and
clinical/risk management. Due to the nature of these multiple and
complex needs, health, social service and judicial systems must
work cooperatively to meet the Ministries' shared goals of
achieving healthy and safe communities.
CMHA/Peel Branch's Mental Health and Justice Services is
involved in this process. They assist mentally ill clients in the
court system, and in the community. To read more about this
program, click
here.
The Branch also offers Concurrent Disorders Training and
Consultation services. Agencies receive crisis intervention and
concurrent disorders training and are offered case consultations.
Both services are to help enable agency staff to prevent,
intervene, and manage crises for their own clients, therefore
reducing the need for police intervention as a way to manage
crises. Click here for more
information.
CMHA/Peel Branch has also been involved in the development of
crisis support services,
including a Safe Bed program aimed at providing temporary shelter
for mentally ill people who have recently been or are likely to
become involved with the criminal justice system. This program is
administered by
Supportive
Housing in Peel which accepts referrals from:
- COAST (Crisis Outreach Assessment Support Team) Peel
- Mobile Crisis of Peel (St Elizabeth)
- Trillium Health Centre - Crisis Intervention Team
- William Osler Health Centre - Crisis Intervention Team
- Credit Valley Hospital - Crisis Intervention Team
- Maplehurst/Vanier Correctional Centres - Discharge Planning
- Headwaters Healthcare Centre
- Short Term Residential Crisis Support Beds Program
Assessment Team
Excerpts from
www.health.gov.on.ca/english/providers/pub/mhitf/forensic_panel/final_report.pdf |
