What is the system challenge?

The transition to adulthood is a challenging time for youth as they are making critical decisions about their careers, families and living situation. During this transition, youth may face difficulties finding services to assist them, particularly if they are experiencing addiction or mental health issues. Many youth could benefit from receiving support to pursue their goals.

This presents an important challenge to the system—how to assist youth to become more independent and feel more confident with their ability to care for themselves.

What are we doing about it?

To address this system challenge, the Hamilton Service Collaborative identified and implemented the Transition to Independence Process (TIP) Model. The TIP Model supports the needs of transition age youth (TAY) with mental health and addictions issues as they transition toward adulthood and the potential use of adult services. Agencies across Hamilton worked together to implement TIP, enhancing system capacity and supporting a more consistent approach to service for transition age youth. This intervention created sustainable change through a “train-the-trainer” approach.

The TIP Model is an evidence-supported model of care designed for transition age youth and young adults who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. TIP gives service providers tools to help their clients prepare for greater self‐sufficiency. It assists youth and young adults to set and achieve goals that guide them towards their desired future. These goals can be related to school, work, housing, relationships, personal wellbeing and community life. 

?What's this?

Full Implementation

The project has not yet reached this implementation stage.

How do we know it works?

210

staff from service providers in Hamilton have been trained over eight waves of training

87%

of those trained in the TIP Model have incorporated it into their practice

716

youth in the region have received TIP-related services since 2013

it gives control back to the client or young person. They build confidence and have better self-esteem. They are able to think for themselves and produce better outcomes as they are thinking outside the box

— service provider

I like the combination of a program that is based in strong evidence, with a clear direction and easy to use tools with the invitation to run with the ideas and have them fit to our own clients

— service provider
72

of trained staff found the practices easy to implement

Who is involved?

The Hamilton Service Collaborative had approximately 35 members that represented services that work with youth in the City of Hamilton. These included representatives from education, criminal justice, primary care, social services, child welfare, and addiction and mental health services.

Since the Service Collaborative implemented TIP in Hamilton, 14 agencies have used the TIP Model to serve and support transition age youth. A further four agencies are preparing to implement TIP. Community-based trainers in Hamilton are helping to sustain the TIP implementation by continuing to offer independent training to agencies and service providers.  

Next Steps

TIP training is continuing to be provided by community-based trainers, who recently re-certified. The Community Implementation Team Executive Committee is meeting regularly to guide the sustainability and scale up of TIP in Hamilton. The TIP leads in Hamilton are offering coaching sessions to agencies implementing TIP

Resources

For More Information

Alan Cudmore, Regional Implementation Coordinator