The Champlain Youth Justice Service Collaborative with support from the Provincial System Support Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) developed Intersections – an evidence–informed early intervention program for children and youth who are at-risk of becoming involved with the justice system. The program was contextualized for the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) region.

Intersections provides supports to young people and their families when the youth comes into contact with police due to problems with substance use, mental health issues, and childhood/youth developmental issues. The program helps these young people and their families to access appropriate community support services in order to reduce and prevent further interactions with police and the justice system.

Children and youth are eligible for Intersections in KFL&A if they are:

• Between 8-17 years of age;
• over 12 and involved in nuisance or troubling behaviour that is not criminal;
• suspected of having mental health issues or illnesses, substance use issues and/or childhood and youth developmental issues; and
• have had police contact. 

Here’s how Intersections works:

• First Contact - The police respond to an incident involving a child/youth who they recognize is at-risk of becoming involved in the justice system. Police then complete an “Intersections Referral Form” with the consent of the child/youth and/or their parents/caregiver(s). The form is faxed by the police to the Intersection program with three business days of the incident.
  
  
• Engagement and Screening – An Intersections Coordinator (responsible for engaging, screening, assessing and referring children, youth and their families to appropriate support services in the community) and host agency receive a police referral and then contacts the child/youth and their families to confirm eligibility. Together, the Intersections Coordinator and the young individual and/or their families determine the most appropriate services before a referral to that service is made. |
  
• Interventions and Pathways – The Intersections Coordinator completes the referral(s) with each service agency based on the specific needs and strengths identified with the young person and/or their family. The Coordinator will provide support and follow-up during and after the referral is made, until the young person has successfully participated in three consecutive appointments with the new service agency. At this time, the Intersections Coordinator informs the young person and/or their family when their file is closed. On occasion, their Intersections file may be reopened if needs change or are unmet.

A scale-up of Intersections in KFL&A will continue to provide additional evidence on the importance of Intersections by evaluating:

• barriers to services;
• children/youth and family engagement in service planning;
• understanding the needs of children/youth and their families/caregiver(s);
• access to supports and services for children, youth and their families;
• occurrence of problematic behaviours; and
• use of existing services.

• Download the intersections info sheet
• Listen to the Interventions webinar
• Intersections presentation