Child and Youth Crisis Line
New - The Launch of a Local Child & Youth Crisis Line in Sarnia-Lambton
Crisis support for children and youth has been an identified gap in this community for some time and part of our multi-year planning. On behalf of the FCC and SCCYS, we would like to share the launch of our Child & Youth Mental Health Crisis Line for Lambton County. With funding provided through the Ontario Trillium Foundation, FCC will leverage their existing Distress Line volunteers to provide this new service.
SCCYS staff along with the Sarnia-Lambton Children’s Aid Society has provided the volunteers with additional training to equip them to work with children and youth. The youth from our local Spoken Hope youth advisory council also provided role-playing with feedback using their own experiences to help volunteers understand the unique situations youth with mental health difficulties are struggling with. The new service will be provided through a separate phone line that children and youth can access 7 days a week and will connect children and youth to appropriate services locally based on their identified needs. We hope this crisis line will provide service before a crisis escalates, divert children and youth from unnecessary emergency room visits, and streamline service pathways.