Contact Niagara provides a range of programming and services, including as the Network Lead for Youth Wellness Hub Niagara (YWHN),  a formal collaborative with the  Centre de santé communautaire Hamilton Niagara and the John Howard Society of Niagara (working with many other community partners (e.g., CASON, school boards, Niagara Chapter Native Women and others). Contact Niagara through children’s services programming supports birth to 18 years (21 years if still in secondary school), and through YWHN serves 12- 25 years. 

Contact Niagara  is committed to ensuring identity-affirming, integrated care, based in cultural humility. We action this commitment through on-going professional learnings, staff community participation, challenging how we show allyship, and embedding our commitments in processes, policies and procedures.

Children’s services include:

Contact Niagara (CN) staff helping individuals and “professionals” understand available funded/unfunded services, providing programming, and connecting to other services as identified/appropriate. 

All CN services are available in French and English, with interpretation services available as needed. Including:

*Assessment of Capabilities/Needs*Clinical Intervention/Counselling/Treatment options ((currently) Mental Health/Developmental/Autism Services)*Family/Individual Support*Dual Diagnosis/concurrent concerns’ Services*Coordinated Service Planning on behalf of children and youth with multiple/complex needs, and; *FASD Consultation/co-ordination services. 

CN works with community partners, to ensure:

•Fair, consistent and equitable access to services; 

•A community mechanism is in place to support children/youth/families facing urgent/complex situations; 

•Reduced youth/family “story telling”, (e.g. children/ youth presenting with co-occurring needs, e.g. mental health/developmental); this intake is then used as the foundation for any follow-up referrals/needs); 

• Supporting service co-ordination (e.g. with school boards/hospitals/primary care)