What is the system challenge?

Transitioning to adulthood can be hard for any youth, especially those facing important decisions about their education, career, family, and living situation. During this difficult time, youth with mental health and/or addiction challenges often have difficulty finding the right services and supports to help them successfully transition to adulthood and independence.

Many youth could benefit from receiving support to pursue their goals. This presents an important challenge to the system in Waterloo Region and Wellington County—how best to assist youth to become more independent and confident in their ability to care for themselves as they transition into adulthood.

What are we doing about it?

With the support of the Provincial System Support Program (PSSP) at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Waterloo-Wellington Service Collaborative identified and implemented the Transition to Independence Process (TIP) Model.

TIP is an evidence-informed model of care designed to support the needs of transition age youth (TAY) and young adults with mental health and addiction issues as they move into adulthood and the potential use of adult mental health and addiction services.

TIP gives service providers the tools to help youth prepare for greater self-sufficiency and independence. It helps youth to set and achieve goals that guide them towards their desired future, including goals related to school, work, housing, relationships, personal well-being, and community life.

Agencies across Waterloo-Wellington worked together to implement TIP, building essential local knowledge and skills and supporting a more consistent approach to service for TAY.

For more information about the TIP Model, see the Stars Training Academy or this brochure, which outlines information about TIP services in Waterloo-Wellington.

?What's this?

Full Implementation

Over ten rounds of TIP training were held in Waterloo-Wellington by five community-based trainers. Agencies across a wide range of sectors took part in this training and then reported implementing the program. Several agencies continue to train new staff, and this training is being provided by community-based trainers who recently re-certified. The sustainability of the intervention is fostered by the train-the-trainer approach put in the place by the Service Collaborative.

How do we know it works?

320+

service providers from 27 agencies in Waterloo-Wellington have been trained in the TIP model

96%

of TIP trainees felt prepared to use the TIP practices in their work

70%

of trained agencies have implemented TIP in some manner

I like TIP, the purpose, and the overall structure of it and find it very useful and empowering.

— a service provider

Who is involved?

The Waterloo-Wellington Service Collaborative had approximately 30 members representing agencies and programs that work with youth and young adults. It included representatives at various levels of responsibility and different sectors, including education, criminal justice, child welfare, primary healthcare, and addiction and mental health services.

Next steps

The community is currently developing ways to sustain TIP in Waterloo-Wellington, while expanding supports for transition age youth. This work is being led by a TIP Sustainability Committee and a broad-based Transition Age Youth (TAY) Oversight Committee. A sustainability plan has been reviewed by the Sustainability Committee and endorsed by the TAY Oversight Committee.