Maltby Centre prepares new initiatives and service models for 2021
The Government of Ontario recently announced an initiative, Roadmap to Wellness, which sets a new agenda for the delivery of mental health and addiction services across the province. At the Maltby Centre, changes to service models throughout the pandemic have them already heading down the same path as the Roadmap to Wellness initiative.
According to a release from the Maltby Centre, dated Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, Roadmap to Wellness is a positive progression from its predecessor, Movement on Mental Health, which focused on identifying clear pathways to care and helping parents know where to find help and how to get it quickly.
As frontline workers in the delivery of mental health and autism services to children and youth in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A), the staff of Maltby Centre responded to the challenges of the pandemic by creating a hybrid model of service, combining face-to face interaction with virtual service delivery, according to the release. The Centre says families are adapting well to their therapists’ strategies and this is reflected in growing client lists and service hours.
“Roadmap to Wellness focuses on promoting a lifespan approach to addictions and mental health,” Karen Fleming, Executive Director, The Maltby Centre says. “The program will seek to improve quality, expand existing services, implement innovative solutions and improve access to services for children, youth and families.”
Another major government policy change, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services’ Needs-Based Autism Program, is scheduled for deployment in 2021. According to the release, this initiative empowers parents to choose among service providers and purchase services and supports that reflect parents’ views of the changing priorities of the family, the child’s developmental stage, and progress towards specific goals. This will transform Maltby Centre’s Autism Services to a fee-for-service facility and create new opportunities for parents to collaborate with our health professionals to create individualized treatments for their loved ones, the Centre says.
In 2021, Maltby Centre will celebrate its 25th anniversary as a provider of mental health and autism services in KFL&A. The organization, founded as Pathways for Children and Youth in 1996, changed its name to Maltby Centre in 2018.
“We are proud to have been entrusted with the mandate to care for and serve the mental health and autism needs of children and youth in the KFL&A community over the last 25 years,” says Ms. Fleming. “Throughout 2021, we look forward to celebrating this significant milestone with our clients, their families, and the full diversity of the KFL&A community, as together we chart a path for the future development of our community.”