Associated Youth Services of Peel

Community-based outreach programs

• Working Together with Families, 0-6 Program: The Working Together With Families 0-6 Program is an intensive, home based, family-focused intervention for families and children from birth to their 7th birthday. It is based on a family preservation service delivery model. Therapists work together with parents to identify family strengths and needs and develop goals to guide the change process.
• Challenges - Child Management Program: Challenges is a flexible, family-focused intervention. Workers meet with families in their homes, to teach and model, for parents, specific skills in child management, conflict resolution, problem solving and advocacy. Challenges is a community-based alternative to the residential treatment of children with moderate to severe behaviour problems. The length of intervention is based on the needs of the family. Booster sessions (follow up support) are available following the completion of the program.
• Family Connections Program: The Family Connections program is an intensive outreach program. It is a short-term intervention lasting approximately 8-10 weeks with the possibility of booster sessions (follow-up support) following discharge. In addition, a parenting group is offered to all parents involved in the program.
• S.E.E.D Program - The S.E.E.D. Program provides guidance and support to children and youth through one-to-one counselling, social/life skills groups and recreational activities. The S.E.E.D. program is a youth focused intervention lasting approximately 6 months. The focus of the program is to assist youth in developing various social skills including problem solving, decision-making and conflict resolution. Youth Workers work collaboratively with the young person's Peel Children's Aid Worker to assist the client in reaching his/her goals.
• Multi-systemic Therapy (MST) Program: - MST is an intensive, short-term intervention (3-5 months) which involves the whole family. It is a home-based, family-focused treatment which aims to improve family functioning, peer relations, and school performance. Therapy sessions are goal-focused and strength-based occurring 2 to 3 times per week in the youth's natural environment. Specifically, the parents and therapist develop strategies or interventions to promote and monitor the youth's success at home, school and in the community. Families have access to the MST Team 24 hours/day via an on-call pager system.
• COPE (Community Parent Education): AYSP offers community-based, short-term, educationally-focused COPE (Community Parent E ducation) groups, for parents or caregivers of youth aged 12 to 17 years (up to their 18th birthday). COPE 12+ is a large-group parenting course that runs for 10 consecutive sessions/weeks, 2 hours per week. Groups are typically offered 2 times per year. COPE groups include the use of video clips, problem-solving discussions, skill-building exercises and goal-focused approaches. Course leaders, who are children's mental health professionals, guide parents using methods proven to reduce parenting stress and improve parent-child/teen relationships. Parents work together on solutions to parenting challenges, share ideas, and try out new teen behaviour management strategies. The groups are offered free of charge. Childcare and help with transportation is also available if needed
• R.A.I.N. (Reaching Adolescents in Need) - R.A.I.N. is an outreach program which identifies and engages youth with mental health issues who are marginalized from their families, school, community and other support services. The R.A.I.N. Program works to improve the youths' well - being and stability through the provision of a supportive relationship, community outreach, advocacy and referral to appropriate services.
• TAYO (Transitional Aged Youth Outreach): The TAYO Program is a community-based case management program for youth who are experiencing on-going mental health challenges and are likely to transition into adult services.
• Youth Beyond Barriers: The Youth Beyond Barriers program is a support and social group for Queer and Trans-Identifying youth between the ages of 12-18. The program is located in the central Mississauga and Brampton area. Please contact us for more information.
• The Adolescent Team Program: The Adolescent Team provides a variety of service options to families who are involved with Peel CAS, where risk factors are related to parent-adolescent conflict and the youth is at risk of removal from the home.
• Youth Mental Health Court Worker: The Youth Mental Health Court Worker provides referral resources to the Youth Justice Court at the A. Grenville & William Davis Courthouse for transitional aged youth, 16 and 17 years old, with serious mental health issues who are in conflict with the law.

School-based programs

• RISE Program: R.I.S.E is a school-based, multi-faceted program which addresses the needs of children who are displaying signs of anti-social behaviour in the classroom, home and community. The program is approximately four months in duration. The program has four components which promote, empower and encourage positive behaviour.
• Section 23 Classrooms: Section 23 educational programs provide service for students unable to attend regular or special education classes within a community school. The Peel District School Board and AYSP jointly deliver Section 23 classroom programs in Peel schools. Section 23 classroom locations can be obtained by contacting the PDSB Section 23 Co-ordinator or the Section 23 Supervisor at AYSP.

Justice Programs

• Youth Justice Committee (YJC): The Youth Justice Committee (YJC) is a program initiated by the Ministry of the Attorney General. It provides an alternative to formal court proceedings when dealing with young people alleged to have committed certain offences. Youth Justice Committees involve trained community members who meet with victims, accused young people and their parents/caregivers to negotiate an appropriate way for the young person to make amends for his or her actions. Youth Justice Committees provide an increased opportunity for victims and the broader community to have a role in dealing with offences committed by young persons.
• Extrajudicial Sanctions Program (EJS - formerly the Alternative Measures Program): The EJS program was developed as a means to divert young persons charged with relatively minor offences away from formal criminal proceedings and into a program of rehabilitation. Examples of extrajudicial sanctions include: community work, personal service work, apology letters, an apology in person, essay/crime prevention projects, restitution, and/or participation in the Shoplifting Prevention Program (SPP).
• Enhanced Extrajudicial Sanctions Program: The Enhanced Extrajudicial Sanctions (EEJS) program is a court diversion program for young persons in conflict with the law. The EEJS program is a community based intervention which utilizes both in-house programming as well as established programs operated by community agencies.
• Extrajudicial Measures Program: The EJM program is intended to divert young persons away from formal criminal proceedings and into a program of rehabilitation. The EJM program is designed for young persons who have been involved in non-violent offences and who are first time offenders and allows the police to address the actions of young persons without utilizing the forma youth justice court system.
• Community Service Order Program (CSO): The Community Service Order Program is designed for young persons and adults who have been ordered by the Court to do voluntary work in the community to compensate for the offence(s) they have committed.
• The Attendance Centre: The Attendance Centre is an alternative to custody program under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. It allows a young person to remain in the community to participate in a structured and supervised program. The program encompasses a wide variety of opportunities for youth to learn and develop new skills, while maintaining a closely supervised setting to ensure the safety of the youth and the community.