The Lambton Kent District School Board (LKDSB) and the St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCCDSB), together with their community mental health partners Linck Child, Youth & Family Supports (Lead Agency for Chatham-Kent) and St. Clair Child & Youth Services (SCCYS) (Lead Agency for Sarnia-Lambton) have finalized a new Memorandum of Agreement designed to enhance coordinated mental health supports for children and youth across the region.
This four-partner agreement reflects a shared commitment to strengthening system-wide collaboration and aligns with the Ministry of Education's Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) 169 on Joint Local Planning. The agreement also supports the provincial Right Time, Right Care initiative by clarifying how school boards and community Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH) agencies work together within a tiered continuum of services.
Through this agreement, LKDSB, SCCDSB, Linck, and SCCYS are reinforcing a unified approach to supporting student mental health. By formalizing referral pathways, information-sharing expectations, and collaborative case management processes, the partners are ensuring that children and youth experience a more seamless connection between school-based supports and community-based mental health services.
Key features of the agreement include:
- Clear referral pathways between school mental health professionals and local CYMH agencies (Linck and SCCYS) to support students requiring Tier 2 or Tier 3 services beyond what can be offered in the school setting.
- Standardized information-sharing procedures (with consent) across LKDSB, SCCDSB, Linck, and SCCYS, reducing duplication and minimizing the need for children, youth, and families to retell their stories.
- Coordinated intake and triage by community partners, including access to One Stop Talk virtual single-session counselling and Youth Wellness Hub Ontario (YWHO) services in both Sarnia-Lambton and Chatham-Kent.
- Joint case management and follow-up, with clear transitions between school-based staff and CYMH clinicians, including coordinated Return-to-School and safety planning for students following hospital-based mental health care.
"This agreement strengthens our shared commitment to ensuring students receive the right service, at the right time, in the right place, and in the right modality to best support their individual needs," states LKDSB Superintendent of Education, Angie Barrese. "By working as one coordinated system of care across LKDSB, SCCDSB, Linck, and SCCYS, we are improving the way children, youth, and families experience and access mental health supports in our communities."
LKDSB, SCCDSB, Linck, and SCCYS will continue to engage in joint planning efforts, track progress through annual school board mental health action plans and contribute to provincial reporting requirements as outlined in PPM 169. As partners, they remain committed to ongoing collaboration, transparent communication, and building a responsive, student-centered mental health system across Sarnia-Lambton and Chatham-Kent.
