August 12, 2021  |  Ottawa, ON  |  Health Canada

Indigenous children in Canada face inequities in accessing health services, including mental health and wellness resources, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened these gaps. The Government of Canada is working with partners to address the unique health needs of Indigenous children and ensure they have access to culturally appropriate mental health services, when and where they need them.

Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced $2 million in funding over the next five years to help improve the mental health and well-being of Indigenous children in Canada. This funding goes to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute (CHEO), a pediatric research centre in Ottawa, to improve access to the Aaniish Naa Gegii: the Children’s Health and Well‐being Measure (ACHWM) app, a tool developed in partnership with the Naandwechige-Gamig Wikwemkong Health Centre.

The ACHWM is a user-friendly application (app) that provides children, from age eight to 18 years, a safe mechanism to talk about their spiritual, emotional, physical and mental wellness. By following their self-reported health and wellness data, the app helps children experiencing mental health challenges. Community counsellors use the data to ensure children make critical connections to local services through a stepped care model. It is valid, reliable, sensitive, and, most importantly, culturally appropriate.

The app is available to agencies and communities that support the health and well-being of Indigenous children and youth. If you think this app could help your community, please visit ACHWM for more details. 

The project will scale-up and spread the existing digital tool to other First Nations, Inuit and Métis organizations and communities across the country. By doing so, these communities and organizations will have access to local data and resources to better understand and improve First Nations, Inuit and Métis children’s health and well-being; guide community policies; educate on best practices; inform health services planning; and enable local evaluations that support communities on their path to better health.