Alberta invests $40M in mental health learning supports for students

Alberta’s government is investing $40 million in mental health learning support for schoolchildren

Around 50,000 Alberta students from kindergarten to Grade 12 will benefit from this funding, which has been doubled from a previous amount for mental health support, according to a provincial release.

As the weather gets colder and days get shorter, this season can be a challenging time. If you’re struggling or need mental health support, it’s available:
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— Alberta Government (@YourAlberta) November 18, 2022

This money is in addition to the previous $42 million announced this past summer which focuses on developing an integrated school-based mental health model, the release said.

Sixty mental health pilot projects will be launched and carried out with the new funding until December 2024.

Around $10 million of the investment will be given to school authorities to design their own modules to match every student’s needs, the province says.

These projects will provide services like counselling, social and emotional learning, student assessment, and training for school staff members.

Those services could include registered psychiatric nurses, social workers, and a teacher with extra training in mental health training available for classrooms.

Other supports include a mental health liaison that will become the go-to contact for families looking for mental health information, support, and resources.

“Students deserve to feel supported and have access to mental health support as they complete their K-12 studies. Through our province’s recovery-oriented system of care, we are taking action to improve the mental health of children and youth and make a difference in their lives,” said Alberta’s Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Nicholas Milliken.

Beginning in 2023 Child, Family and Mental Health (CASA) teams will also aid students who have intensive or special needs and who normally require more assistance to succeed in a conventional classroom environment, the province adds.

Additionally, school-based mental health programming for children and youth in elementary schools has already begun. The program pairs students with a mental health professional.

The Alberta government says so far, mental health learning supports have allowed children in early grade school to recover literacy and numeracy skills for long-term academic success. Students in grades one to three recovered on average 6.7 months of literacy skills, the province says.

“Educators and local school communities play an essential role in providing prevention and early intervention mental health services for children, youth, and their families,” said the director for the Centre for Wellbeing in Education at the Werklund School of Education for the University of Calgary, Dr. Jennifer Turner.

“Increased access to evidence-based mental health supports that are responsive to the local community context are needed. Funding to support collaboration between education, health, and local community agencies are necessary to provide timely, targeted, and easily accessible wraparound mental health services,” she added.

Other mental health supports for youth include the Kids Help Phone which offers professional counselling, referrals, and text-based support which can be on their website. And Alberta’s Mental Health Foundation in partnership with Alberta Blue Cross via Kickstand offers another text messaging-based service, MoreGoodDays, which provides motivational quotes including daily inspiration for young people.