As a result of all these collective changes, 11 employees (2 full-time and 6 part-time and 3 casual workers) are given redundancy periods and 1 vacancy has been eliminated. A number of options are presented to employees in these positions, including vacancies, early retirement and voluntary departures. We will follow the process described in the collective agreement and share information with the employees involved while we work on these steps. Youth programs on Ontario`s shores are staffed by highly skilled and highly experienced teams of professionals, some of whom have been working together for more than 25 years to carefully develop the best treatment for the most marginalized and vulnerable youth. Unfortunately, recent decisions by the administrators of this newly divested hospital indicate that they may not be aware of the history of the programs and the careful development that took place prior to their tenure at Ontario Shores. I am saddened and troubled that the transformation of youth programs can take place at Den Ontario Shores without a sophisticated understanding of the past, present and future of adolescent mental health. We would also like to caution against U.S. human resources recommendations, given that the training and role of CYCs in Canada is very different from those in the United States. I cannot describe the folly of this decision. I have worked with a very professional, competent and dedicated CYCs team. The consistency of the schedule and the stability of the staff group have helped to develop and maintain trusting relationships with patients – generally recognized as the basis for any treatment with adolescents.

CYCs are considered the cornerstone of youth care. During my time at the Whitby Mental Health Centre, I was particularly impressed by the collaboration between child and youth counsellors and nurses in hospital programs and by the overall quality of team coaching. I felt that counsellors for children and youth were a uniquely qualified group. Staff turnover in this group has been low. Many counsellors for children and youth had worked in Whitby for more than ten years. As a result, the team has developed an impressive level of cohesiveness and know-how in working with youth with complex mental health needs and those recovering from episodes of severe mental illness. In my experience, their expertise in this area was unmatched. New team members were welcomed into the group and mentored by senior executives, adding their own perspectives, creativity and energy.

From a human resources perspective, it was a well-functioning team that was able to provide quality care to a particularly vulnerable youth population. I am very saddened to learn that this unique team no longer seems to be appreciated and can be largely dissolved. The lack of long-term home psychiatric care services for adolescents is already a well-known problem. My name is Jim Martin and I worked for 30 years as a Child and Youth Counsellor (CYC) in the Ontario Shore Centre for Mental Health Sciences`s Youth Centres.