Parent and caregiver voice and expertise must be centered in services and systems in order to ensure effective and responsive mental health supports. 

Meaningful engagement with families involves shifting away from episodic involvement and consultation only approaches. To meaningfully engage, we must examine personal, positional, and systemic barriers that get in the way of developing authentic relationships. This workshop will offer a practical, evidence-informed roadmap for meaningful engagement.  

Drawing on a recent cross-sectoral project focused on parent and caregiver mental health literacy; this workshop features direct insights from families who partnered in the design of resources for SMH-ON's By Your Side Learning Hub and CMHO’s Family Care Center. Participants will hear directly from families about their experiences partnering on the project and the lessons learned throughout the co-design process. 

Through interactive dialogue and reflective activities, participants will identify steps to take back to their organizations to strengthen family engagement.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn how to implement best practices in family engagement and apply them to co-design activities in their organizations and sectors.

2. Understand the foundations of identity affirming family engagement.

3. Translate lessons learned from families into concrete practices that strengthen meaningful family engagement in their sector.