K01 – Provincial Youth Outreach Worker Program – Making Connections and Delivering Care to Marginalized Populations Across Ontario

Summary

This participatory session will create an opportunity for the audience to: • Hear a description of the infancy of the provincial YOW program, discuss the challenges it has gone through to reach its current provincial scope of practice and examine, identify and discuss recommendations in implementing a similar model in other province/jurisdictions • Understand the focus on priority populations and how these emerging priorities are fluid, resulting in a flexible, agile approach to program priorities and the requirements of associated implementation plans • Understand the importance of onboarding, educational and ongoing skill development required in maintaining a “lived experience” approach to the delivery of services. We will also explain why the inclusion of clinical youth outreach workers was prioritized in our growth strategies and planning. The Youth Outreach Worker (YOW) Program is a comprehensive multi-agency outreach initiative for marginalized youth in underserved neighborhoods and special target populations across Ontario. Started in Toronto in 2005 as a mechanism to combat the “summer of the gun”, at risk, inner city youth remain an important focus of this program yet new and emerging populations such as Indigenous, Roma, Syrian, LGBTQ etc. have allowed for emerging service approaches, focused on addressing unique needs inherent in these communities. These services are complemented by Enhanced Youth Outreach Workers (EYOW) who provide clinical intervention when required for mental health, addictions, trauma, human/sex trafficking etc. In 2018/19 the Program engaged 9,281 youth who interacted 30,220 times. YOWs hosted 3,915 group activities attended by 173,158 young people. Mental Health, employment, education and skill development are most common issues identified by youth. Ongoing use of data and an evaluation framework supports the program to confidently address programming and infrastructure opportunities as they emerge. Lived experience remains vital in building an effective YOW workforce. Through a vigorous onboarding and skills development, retention remains high within a field of work often considered vicarious and underpaid. The programs journey to this point has not been easy yet the funders, the participating agencies, YOWs, youth and families are committed to the program’s sustainability and expansion in scope and ongoing development of clinical expertise. This presentation will discuss how the programs development, history, current state and program expertise can be leveraged in designing similar youth outreach programs across the country