Program focus: ADHD, Autism, Behaviour Difficulty, Child Development, Communication Skills, Developmental Disability, LGBT, Mental Health, Parenting, School, Skill Development, Socializing, Trauma more…
Children, youth up to age 18, their mental health professional and families can access psychiatric consultation via virtual platform. Youth and family must be connected to a service provider to support the referral process.
This service requires a referral by a mental health professional who has worked with the child/youth and family and is knowledgeable of their situation. The mental health professional will be involved in the entire process following the psychiatric consultation and will follow up with the client on any recommendations.
All referral forms must be faxed to 647-689-2788. If you have any questions, please email the Urban Tele-Mental Health Service Coordinator at urbantelementalhealth@stridestoronto.ca or call us at 416-438-3697 ext. 14292.
Program focus: Behaviour Difficulty, Child Development, Parenting
The Triple P-Positive Parenting Program is a multi-level, preventively-oriented parenting and family support strategy developed by the authors and colleagues at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. The program aims to prevent severe behavioural, emotional and developmental problems in children by enhancing the knowledge, skills and confidence of parents.
The program content draws on the following:
- Social learning models of parent-child interaction that highlight the reciprocal and bidirectional nature of parent child interactions.
- Research in child and family behaviour therapy and applied behaviour analysis.
- Developmental research on parenting in everyday contexts
- Social information processing models that highlight the important role of parental cognitions such as attributions, expectancies and beliefs.
- Research from the field of developmental psychopathology that has identified specific risk and protective factors that are linked to adverse developmental outcomes in children.
- A population health perspective to family intervention that involves the explicit recognition of the role of the broader ecological context for human development.
The group goals are:
- To increase parents’ competence in managing common behavior problems and developmental issues
- To reduce parents’ use of coercive and punitive methods of disciplining children
- To reduce parenting stress associated with raising children
Triple P is offered over seven sessions:
- Introduction, What is Positive Parenting, Causes of Child Behaviour Problems, Goals for change, Keeping track of children’s behaviours
- Promoting children’s development, developing positive relationships with children, encouraging desirable behaviour, teaching new skills and behaviours
- Managing misbehaviour, developing parenting routines
- Planning ahead, family survival tips, high risk situations, planned activities routines
- Telephone session – Implementing parenting routines
- Telephone session – Implementing parenting routines continued
- Program close – phasing out the program, progress review, maintenance of change, problem solving for the future, future goals, celebration
Program focus: Child Development, Mental Health, Parenting, Skill Development
Babies’ Best Start works in partnership with Toronto Public Health to provide service to families under the provincially funded program Healthy Babies Healthy Children. In this partnership a Public Health Nurse from the City of Toronto and a Family Home Visitor from Strides Toronto work as a team to provide in-home support to families in the prenatal stage and to families with young children from birth to three years of age. Children must be referred before the age of three.
The parent receiving this service determines their own goals which may include areas such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, healthy attachment, healthy eating, safety, child development, positive parenting, parent health and well-being and community resources. The home visitors represent a variety of cultural backgrounds and speak many different languages.
Referral Details
Referrals can be made by parents or through a midwife, family doctor, nurse or other service provider to Healthy Babies Health Children through the Toronto Public Health Department. Children must be referred before the age of three.
Eligibility Details
Clients must meet the following criteria:
- Living in Toronto
- Pregnant or parenting a child who is 0 to 3 years old
- Be the legal guardian of the child(ren)
- Actively parenting the child(ren) in the family’s place of residence
- Available for home visits during our hours of operation.
The client must also meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Healthcare professional has concerns about the health and well-being of the client, family and/or child.
- Parent has concerns or questions about the child’s health and development, parenting, parent-child relationship.
- Newcomer to Canada, here less than three years and having their first baby in Canada.
- Client has a limited informal and/or formal support system.
- Client has a history of or is experiencing physical and/or mental health illness that is impacting capacity to parent or cope with pregnancy.
- Client facing challenging life situations or life stressors such as homeless, domestic violence, child protection concerns, no OHIP.
The Healthy Babies Healthy Children program is funded by the government of Ontario and delivered by your local public health unit.
Program focus: Autism, Behaviour Difficulty, Child Care, Child Development, Communication Skills, Day Care, Developmental Disability more…
Child Care Consultation provide services to licensed child care related to children with extra support needs and their families.
Child Consultation Staff are trained professionals who:
- Support child care programs to build inclusive environments;
- Work with child care staff to develop and carry out strategies that support children and families;
- Deliver training to support learning around inclusive practices.
All requests go through child care centres. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Manager, Family Connections at 416-438-3697 ext. 14482 or Loraine.bairstow@stridestoronto.ca
Referral Details
Supervisors at licensed child care centres and home child care centres can submit a referral request online through the Every Child Belongs Portal and their online services account to access their assigned Resources Consultant to initiate a request for support.
This program is funded through the City of Toronto’s Every Child Belongs Model.
Program focus: Abuse, ADHD, Behaviour Difficulty, Child Development, Child Welfare, Communication Skills, Mental Health, Parenting, Skill Development, Socializing, Trauma more…
Live-in treatment at Strides Toronto is an intensive, therapeutic, twenty-four-hour care and treatment program for children whose social, emotional and behavioural difficulties are such that they have been unable to adequately function in a family setting, even with the provision of less intrusive service alternatives such as outpatient counselling or Day Treatment.
The program provides a range of services including assessment, twenty four-hour care and treatment; in-home support related to parenting and child management; children’s groups; individual child and family treatment; and aftercare. Program consultants are available as required for psychological and psychiatric assessments as well as on-going treatment consultation. Other specialized assessments are arranged as required e.g., speech and language, occupational therapy and neuropsychological testing.
The purpose of the program is to promote opportunities for children and their families to learn and practice new social skills and regulate emotions that will enable the children to return home. For those children for whom returning home is not possible, emphasis is placed on preparing them for integration into their next home environment.
“Betty’s Place” is a staff operated treatment program located in a residential neighborhood that serves six children at one time (male and female). The program is funded and licensed by the Ministry of Children, Community & Social Services under the Child and Family Services Act.
Quick Access
Quick Access is a bed designated to the various Child Welfare agencies for their clients who require access for children needing immediate placement. Clients who are admitted through the Quick Access process will receive the same treatment as any other client admitted through the Regular Service process.
Eligibility Details
Residential Service is provided to children primarily between the ages of 6-12. Children are referred through Help Ahead Central Point of Intake from across Toronto. The specific admission criteria for the service include:
- Children who continue to experience social/emotional difficulties in their home environment despite previous less intrusive interventions.
- Children must have at least average intellectual potential, i.e. children who do not require educational services designed for the developmentally delayed.
- Child must be able to be safely maintained in an unlocked community setting.
- Families must be willing to be involved in monthly treatment planning meetings, family work, in house behaviour management sessions, and attend organized family events within the residence
- A child who may have a mild form of autism will be considered.
- Children with physical handicaps will be considered given the limitations of our site.
The Live-In Treatment program is funded by Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS).
Program focus: Autism, Child Development, Communication Skills, Developmental Disability, Speech and Language
One in ten children need extra help developing speech and language skills. Without help, it may be harder for these children to listen, talk, read, and play with others. Strides Preschool Speech and Language Program (PSL) supports children living in the east area of Toronto achieve their optimal communication development.
Strides PSL offers the following services to children from birth until they are eligible to start full-day kindergarten: assessment, consultation to parents, community-based children’s programs, and other professionals, parent training and information sessions; group and individual speech and language intervention, and referral to a wide range of child and family services in the community.
Service duration
The type and duration of service provided are determined based on the child’s level of communication functioning and caregivers’ preferences for service plan options. Services may range from consultation every few months to participation in weekly therapy sessions that typically are offered once a week for approximately six weeks.
For more information about the program, click here.
Satellite Locations
BGC East Scarborough
100 Galloway Road
Scarborough, ON M1E 1W7
Malvern Family Resource Centre
90 Littles Road
Scarborough, ON M1B 5E2
Rosalie Hall
3020 Lawrence Ave E, Scarborough ON M1P 2T7
Referral Details
Parents/caregivers, childcare providers, and/or other professionals involved in child’s care can refer the child to the program with parent/caregiver consent.
Referrals can be made online or by calling 1-833-575-5437.
The Preschool Speech and Language Program at Strides Toronto is part of a community partnership led by Surrey Place Centre, in collaboration with The Hanen Centre, Lumenus Community Services, Macaulay Child Development Centre and George Hull Family and Child Centre.
Program focus: Child Development, Parenting
This program offers Family Home Visiting and Parenting Groups and is designed for families with children from birth to under 6 years of age who may be new to Canada, are living on a low income, or may be feeling alone or overwhelmed. The goal of our program is to help mothers and fathers see their strengths, build strong relationships with the children, and find positive ways to raise healthy, happy children. This program is free and voluntary.
Family Home Visiting
Supportive professional Family Home Visitors can meet regularly with parents in their home to provide information about infant and child development, healthy eating, safety, breastfeeding, toileting and community resources.
Parenting Groups
Trained staff offer a variety of weekly parenting groups such as Infant Massage, Parent-Child Mother Goose®, Nobody’s Perfect Parenting Group, Building Connections, and Summer Fun. Groups are offered at different community locations across Scarborough.
Eligibility Details
Families with children under 6 years of age who are either:
- new to Canada
- single or young parents
- having a language barrier
- living on a low income
- feeling isolated
AND with a self-identified parenting struggle.
Program focus: Behaviour Difficulty, Child Development, Mental Health, Parenting
The Community Support program works in partnership with other service providers to develop and deliver flexible mental health services that are responsive to unmet and emerging needs of children from birth to age 12 and their families.
Programs are based on current best practice and determinants of health and are created in relation to needs identified in the community in cooperation with community partners and families. Activities in the program include groups, workshops and presentations to families and/or community organizations to increase awareness and facilitate knowledge transfer to enhance the social emotional well-being of families with children under 12 years of age.
Program goals are to assist families in establishing and achieving their goals for the healthy development of their children; to enable children to function more successfully in all social contexts (home, school, neighbourhood); and to enhance the capacity of the community to promote the healthy development of children.
The services strive to be accessible to all families in relation to location, literacy level and cultural sensitivity. Areas of service include:
School Services
Program provides parenting workshops and presentations; parenting groups; class wide anti-bullying and social skills programs; and staff training.
Community Agencies
Program provides parent education, parent groups, and participates in community development activities.
Shelter Services
Program provides parenting groups, children’s groups, brief counselling, staff consultation and training to school and shelter staff.
EarlyOn
Program provides parent education, groups, and brief consultation on topics related to children under 6 years of age.