Youth Forensic Services

Operating under the Mental Health & the Law, the Youth Forensic Service is also designated by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to provide court ordered forensic assessments of Fitness to Stand Trial, Criminal Responsibility, and Treatment Orders (for the Unfit accused) in accordance with Part XX.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada. The service’s primary focus is to provide alternate care pathways for youth between the ages of 12-18 (less a day) across the Northeast Region of Ontario.

Our team…

This new initiative is led by a Forensic Coordinator who is responsible for intake, information, service coordination and system navigation. The team is comprised of two psychiatrists, one with a sub specialty in forensic psychiatry and the other in child and adolescent psychiatry, who will collaborate on each assessment in order to provide the most comprehensive forensic evaluation of the young person. Consultations with other disciplines in the areas of social work, psychology, behaviour therapy, concurrent disorders and occupational therapy will also be available as required.

Our service delivery model…

Our innovative service delivery model offers services in the least restrictive and most developmentally appropriate milieu consistent with the youth’s clinical needs, their safety and the safety of others. By maximizing the use of technology and supporting the principle of closer to home service, we intend to minimize psychosocial and emotional impacts on the young person caused by the judicial process.

Partnerships with purpose…

Guided by this strategic direction, the Youth Forensic Service has established valuable partnerships with youth justice service providers across the region, to assist us in providing the youth with the right type of care, in the right place and at the right time. Although this is not a bedded service, hospitalization will be considered and is available as a measure of last resort.