Creating a provincial family council to engage youth and families in child & youth mental health systems.

OBJECTIVE To create a mechanism in British Columbia (BC) for youth and families to directly engage with key provincial committees that develop policy and implement service delivery for child and youth mental health. METHOD In 2009, a plan was initiated to increase the involvement and influence of youth and families in research, policy, practices and programs related to child and youth mental health. This initiative, led by a provincial family advocacy society in partnership with representatives from health services and government, resulted in the establishment of the Provincial Family Council for Child and Youth Mental Health (PFC). Formation of the PFC occurred in two phases: initially, a Working Group co-chaired by a parent and a youth was tasked with developing the Terms of Reference and framework for the PFC; phase two involved ensuring important constituencies/demographics and competencies were represented in the membership of the PFC. RESULT The Provincial Family Council is officially endorsed by the provincial government and is informing key provincial committees in British Columbia. CONCLUSION In BC, the PFC is the vehicle through which youth and families can now work in partnership with "the system" to promote and improve the mental health of BC's children and youth.