School-Based Mental Health and Substance Abuse Consortium

Knowledge Translation and Exchange (KTE) Team

Early Engagement for Mobilizing Knowledge and Facilitating Implementation

of Evidence-Based Strategies in SBMHSA

The SBMHSA Consortium was assembled in 2009 to carry out a national project funded by the Mental Health Commission of Canada that was designed to provide a state-of-the-field summary of school-based mental health in our country. The Consortium was tasked with undertaking a systematic review of the literature, a national scan of programs/models, and a comprehensive survey of all school districts in Canada in relation to implementation needs, enablers, and barriers. The KTE Team has been charged with translating these findings in a meaningful way for research, policy, and practice stakeholders. This involves mobilizing knowledge about SBMHSA within the education sector, with a view to setting the stage for implementation of evidence-based practices at the district and school level.

Model for Mobilizing SBMHSA Knowledge

Learning about Mobilizing SBMHSA Knowledge

Stage / Key Learnings
KTE Review /
  • Key audiences for national SBMHSA work are provincial/local intermediaries (district leaders, policy officials, school-based and school-linked mental health professionals) – all of whom further mobilize information for educators, parents, youth
  • Educators understand their role in SBMHSA but feel unprepared for this responsibility (so KTE efforts should draw on effective professional development strategies, rather than expending energy on attitudinal change)
  • Stakeholders seek a “one stop” integrated, contextualized, electronically-available home for practical SBMHSA information
  • Stakeholders want to digest this information in local teams, with the help of an expert coach

Early Engagement /
  • Early engagement activities do help in building momentum, creating alignment, scaffolding knowledge, and inspiring action
  • Need to engage a large number of stakeholders, using a variety of KTE vehicles and ambassadors (face-to-face workshops and presentations, briefs, newsletters, professional articles, scientific papers)
  • Behind-the-scenes support to provincial mobilizers assists in readying the local field
  • Participation in aligned initiatives creates linkages and informs directions (Canada-US School Mental Health Alliance)

KTE Experimentation /
  • Coordination of existing knowledge, and people, is a valuable role (e.g., Directory of Educator Mental Health Literacy products)
  • Anticipating implementation issues can start important dialogue
  • Understanding preferences for receiving information shapes future KTE efforts (e.g., educators reported a preference for face-to-face methods for building capacity in SBMHSA, leading the KTE Team to adapt the symposium plan so that virtual attendees participate in facilitated learning pods, rather than as individuals)

SRS Translation / TBD
Knowledge Sharing / TBD