Our team at the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University, in collaboration with School Mental Health Ontario (SMHO-SMSO), is conducting the 2019 School Mental Health Surveys – Principal Survey. This phase represents an expansion of the 2014-2015 SMHS that was completed in 45 school boards as part of the Ontario Child Health Study (2014 OCHS-SMHS).

 

This new 2019 phase of the project involves repeating principal surveys in all participating schools from the 2014-2015 phase, as well as expanding participation to all schools within those 45 school boards. This will allow us to document successes and needs around school mental health from the principal lens, and examine the extent to which school-level programming and supports are in place for enhancing student mental health.

 

Information gathered in the principal survey will complement the annual Board Mental Health Scan completed by Mental Health Leadership teams. Together, these surveys will provide important opportunities to examine alignment at the system- and school-levels, and help identify possible policy and programmatic influences that might be contributing to any of the observable changes.