BEAM
Better access to and integration of mental health and addiction services through navigation
A mixed-methods adaptive pragmatic clinical trial
BEAM is a research study that aims to bring youth mental health and addictions navigation services to northern Ontario. By implementing the evidence-based Family Navigation Project model in Sudbury-Manitoulin, our team hopes to improve access to mental health and addictions services for youth and their families.
About BEAM
BEAM is a research study based out of Sunnybrook Research Institute that brings researchers, service providers, decision-makers, and community members together to implement the Family Navigation Project (FNP) in Sudbury-Manitoulin.
FNP is an evidence-based model that helps youth and their families find and access mental health and addictions (MHA) resources that best meet their needs. FNP originated in Toronto, Ontario, where it has been operating since 2013. FNP was invited to set up a new site in Sudbury-Manitoulin by local interest-holders, who identified a need for increased MHA support in the region. FNP Sudbury-Manitoulin will be operated by Compass/Boussole/Akii-Izhinoogan, the lead agency for child and youth mental health in the area.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing FNP in Sudbury-Manitoulin, acting as a blueprint to support broader growth of the FNP model of navigation elsewhere in Ontario and beyond.
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Collaborating with the Community
The BEAM study prioritizes working directly with the local community. There is close collaboration between FNP staff in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and partners in Sudbury-Manitoulin. Interest-holders are engaged at all stages of the research, from study conception, to designing study tools and the FNP service, to implementing FNP and evaluating its effects. These interest-holders include:
- Youth with lived experience of MHA concerns and their families
- Indigenous community members
- Francophone community members
- Community members in rural and remote areas
- Service providers
- Decision-makers
FNP’s Success in the Greater Toronto Area
Over 6,800 youth and families navigated since launching in 2013, with 95% of clients would recommend FNP to their family or friends.
Youth and/or families who connect with FNP have been found to experience:
- decreased caregiver strain1 and improved youth symptoms and functioning2
- improvements in feeling supported, validated, and hopeful3
Navigators help simplify the process of connecting youth and families to the right supports, which reduces mismatches to care and unnecessary care transitions.4
Key Achievements
- $2 million received in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, plus over $2 million of matching funds from the Sunnybrook Foundation
- 84 local interest-holders engaged to learn about their experiences, needs, and priorities
- Initial adaptations to the FNP model for implementation in Sudbury-Manitoulin identified through an extensive co-design process and approved by the study Steering Committee
What is FNP?
The Family Navigation Project (FNP) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is a service that was launched in Toronto in 2013. FNP provides expert navigation of the mental health and addictions system for youth ages 11 to 29 and their families (including family of choice). This means that FNP helps youth and/or their families figure out where to go, who to talk to, and what services or resources might be the best fit based on their unique needs. Due to the impact of this model, our team is seeking to bring FNP to other communities across Ontario.
Who We Are
The BEAM team is made up of researchers, youth, caregivers, service providers, and decision-makers. Led by FNP at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, we have partnered with Compass/Boussole/Akii-Izhinoogan in Sudbury-Manitoulin to operate FNP’s new site. We also have partners across several other local organizations, including Noojmowin Teg Health Centre, Health Sciences North, Future North, the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research at Laurentian University, and Parents & Caregivers for Mental Health.
Goals
Our goal is to improve access to and integration of MHA services for youth and families through navigation. To achieve this in Sudbury-Manitoulin, we are working toward five key study objectives:
- Learn about the needs of the community
- Make a plan to adapt FNP for the area
- Set up FNP and see how it works for youth and families
- Make changes to improve the service
- Share what we learn for other communities to use
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Latest Blog Posts
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Press Release: Northern Ontarians face unique barriers accessing mental health and addictions support
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Sunnybrook team awarded funding to implement Family Navigation Project in Northern Ontario Check out the full story here.