Foundry Research

Overview  

Often when youth seek support, they need assistance with more than one concern. With integrated youth services, the services addressing those needs are linked together to provide optimal care. Foundry is the first province-wide integrated youth services initiative in British Columbia. As Foundry grows and expands, we are constantly striving to understand what works best for youth and their families/caregivers.  

Research into health services utilization and systems impacts looks at best practices for integrated youth services and new ways of improving the Foundry model. We look at the big picture of services available to youth and their families/caregivers in British Columbia and how to integrate Foundry into those services to help youth and their families/caregivers navigate the system and access services. 

Importance  

When youth and their families/caregivers need support, they may find it difficult to figure out what services are available and where to go. Our goal with health services utilization and systems impacts research is to improve both access to services and the services themselves and understand how these affect the health care system as a whole so that youth and their families/caregivers get the support they need. 

Key Questions  

• What are the challenges facing youth and their families/caregivers when trying to access services? 
• How can we improve the Foundry model of services? 
• How can we improve the system of care for youth in British Columbia? 

Resources   

• Mathias, S., Tee, K., Helfrich, W., Gerty, K., Chan, G., & Barbic, S. P. (2022). Foundry: Early learnings from the implementation of an integrated youth service network. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 16(4), 410-418. 
• Clair, V., & Mathias, S. (2022). BC youth are in a mental health crisis—we must invest in prevention. British Columbia Medical Journal, 64(4), 180-181.  
• Barbic, S., Mathias, S., & Tee, K. (2020). Mental Health Services for Children and Youth Innovating youth health services in British Columbia: Foundry BC. Innovation in Primary Care: Integrating Mental Health Services in Primary Care. 
• Barbic, S. P., Jones, A. A., Woodward, M., Piercy, M., Mathias, S., Vila-Rodriguez, F., Leonova, O., Smith, G. N., Buchanan, T., Vertinsky, A. T., Gillingham, S., Panenka, W. J., Rauscher, A., Barr, A. M., Procyshyn, R. M., MacEwan, G. W., Lang, D. J., Thornton, A. E., Heran, M. K., Leon, A. M., Krausz, M., & Honer, W. G. (2018). Clinical and functional characteristics of young adults living in single room occupancy housing: Preliminary findings from a 10-year longitudinal study. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 109(2), 204-214. 
• Barone, C., Yamamoto, A., Richardson, C. G., Zivanovic, R., Lin, D., & Mathias, S. (2019). Examining patterns of cognitive impairment among homeless and precariously housed urban youth. Journal of Adolescence, 72, 64-69. 
• Ben-David, S., Vien, C., Biddell, M., Ortiz, R., Gawliuk, M., Turner, S., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2022). Service use decision-making among youth accessing integrated youth services: Applying the unified theory of behavior. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31(1), 4-17. 
• Cochrane, S., Merritt, K., Leon, A., Palacol, A. V., Siddiqui, S., Faris, D., & Barbic, S. (2019). Experiences of trauma-sensitive yoga among inner city youth: A mixed-methods feasibility study. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 35, 62-71. 
• Halsall, T., Manion, I., Iyer, S. N., Mathias, S., Purcell, R., & Henderson, J. (2019). Trends in mental health system transformation: Integrating youth services within the Canadian context. Healthcare Management Forum, 32(2), 51-55. 
• Hawke, L. D., Thabane, L., Wilkins, L., Mathias, S., Iyer, S., & Henderson, J. (2021). Don’t forget the caregivers! A discrete choice experiment examining caregiver views of integrated youth services. The Patient. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research. 14(6), 791-802.
• Hetrick, S. E., Bailey, A. P., Smith, K. E., Malla, A., Mathias, S., Singh, S. P., O’Reilly, A., Verma, S. K., Benoit, L., Fleming, T. M., Moro, M. R., Rickwood, D. J., Duffy, J., Eriksen, T., Illback, R., Fisher, C. A., & McGorry, P. D. (2017). Integrated (one-stop shop) youth health care: Best available evidence and future directions. Medical Journal of Australia, 207(S10), S5-S18. 
• Giang, K., Charlesworth, R., Thulien, M., Mulholland, A., Barker, B., Brar, R., Pauly, B., & Fast, D. (2023). Risk mitigation guidance and safer supply prescribing among young people who use drugs in the context of COVID-19 and overdose emergencies. International Journal of Drug Policy, 115, 104023. 
• ​Glowacki, K., Affolder, J., Macnab, B., Ewert, A., Tee, K., Wenger, M., Chan, G., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2023). Infusing wellness opportunities into integrated youth services. BMC Psychiatry, 23(1), 403.   
• Gmitroski, K.-L., Hastings, K. G., Legault, G., and Barbic, S. (2023). Métis health in Canada: A scoping review of Métis-specific health literature. CMAJ Open, 11(5), E884-E893. 
• Khanano, R., Barbic, S., Henderson, J., Mathias, S., & Richardson, C. G. (2021). Reliability and concurrent validity of the GAIN Short Screener among youth utilizing integrated health services. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30(2), 82-91.  
• Marchand, K., Pellatt, K. M., & Barbic, S. (2022). Centering young people’s perspectives, needs, and preferences in researching barriers to medications for opioid use disorder. JAMA Pediatrics, 176(6), 616-616. 
• Marchand, K., Fogarty, O., Pellat, K. M., Vig, K., Melnychuk, J., Katan, C., Khan, F., Turuba, R., Kongnetiman, L., Tallon, C., Fairbank, J., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2022). “We need to build a better bridge”: Findings from a multi-site qualitative analysis of opportunities for improving opioid treatment services for youth. Harm Reduction Journal, 19(37).   
• Marchand, K., Turuba, R., Katan, C., Brasset, C., Fogarty, O., Tallon, C., Fairbank, J., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2022). Becoming our young people’s case managers: Caregivers’ experiences, need, and ideas for improving opioid use treatments for young people using opioids. Substance Abuse, Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 17(34).  
• Marchand, K., Turuba, R., Katan, C., Fogarty, O., Fairbank, J., Tallon, C., Mathias, S., & Barbic S. (2023). “The system always undermined what I was trying to do as an individual”: Identifying opportunities to improve the delivery of opioid use services for youth from the perspective of service providers in four communities across British Columbia, Canada. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 18(1), 1.. 
• Mei, C., Fitzsimons, J., Allen, N., Alvarez-Jimenez, M., Amminger, G. P., Browne, V., Cannon, M., Davis, M., Dooley, B., Hickie, I. B., Iyer, S., Killackey, E., Malla, A., Manion, I., Mathias, S., Pennell, K., Purcell, R., Rickwood, D., Singh, S. P., Wood, S. J., Yung, A., & McGorry, P. D. (2020). Global research priorities for youth mental health. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 14(1), 3-13. 
• ​Ow, N., Marchand, K., Liu, G., Mallia, E., Mathias, S., Sutherland, J., & Barbic, S. P. (2023). Patterns of service utilization among youth with substance use service need: A cohort study. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 18, 62.   
• Salmon, A., Fernando, S., Berger, M., Tee, K., Gerty, K., Helfrich, W., & Liversidge, P. (2020). Distributive leadership within an emerging network of integrated youth health centres: A case study of Foundry. International Journal of Integrated Care, 20(4), 19-19. 
• Shyman, L., Sukhorukov, R., Barbic, D., Mathias, S., Chau, S., Leon, A., & Barbic, S. (2021). Social determinants of health and depression in adults presenting to the emergency department. Canadian Family Physician, 67(12), e337. 
• Turuba, R., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Brockmann, V., Tallon, C., Irving, S., Mathias, S., Henderson, J., Marchand, K., & Barbic, S. (2022). A qualitative study exploring how young people perceive and experience substance use services in British Columbia, Canada. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 17(43). 
• Waclawik, K., Jones, A. A., Barbic, S. P., Gicas, K. M., O’Connor, T. A., Smith, G. N., Leonova, O., Mathias, S., Barr, A. M., Procyshyn, R. M., Lang, D. J., Woodward, M. L., MacEwan, G. W., Panenka, W. J., Yamamoto, A., Honer, W. G., & Thornton, A. E. (2019). Cognitive impairment in marginally housed youth: Prevalence and risk factors. Frontiers in Public Health, 7(270). 
• Zenone, M. A., Cianfrone, M., Sharma, R., Majid, S., Rakhra, J., Cruz, K., Costales, S., Sekhon, M., Mathias, S., Tugwell, A., & Barbic, S. (2021). Supporting youth 12–24 during the COVID-19 pandemic: How Foundry is mobilizing to provide information, resources and hope across the province of British Columbia. Global Health Promotion, 28(1), 51-59. 

Related Studies and Initiatives 

• Towards a Learning Health System to Support an Integrated Youth Services Network in Canada (IYS-Net Phase 0 Project) 
• Emergency Department Standards: Pathways for Youth from Emergency Departments to Community Services 
• Role of Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) in a Substance Use Strategy for British Columbia Youth 
• Examining Long Term Trajectories in the Transition Away from Youth Homelessness in Four Cities Across Canada 
• Addressing the Wider Impacts of COVID-19: How Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted Young People’s Substance Use and Resilience Behaviours Over Time? 
• Improving Treatment Together (ITT) Project 
• The Experience Project 
• Youth 4 Youth Advisory Council (The Experience Project) 
• COVID-19 and Youth Study 
• PreVenture 
• Emergency Department to Foundry (ED2Foundry) Study 
• Foundry Integration Measure (FIM) 

To learn more about each of these specific projects, scroll further down the website to the “Current Studies” and “Completed Studies” sections! 

Overview  

We know it’s important to understand exactly what diverse youth and families/caregivers need, to design services around those needs, and to measure the response to our services to ensure the services meet those needs. The science of developing, testing and/or adapting measures means we can measure service experiences and outcomes that matter to youth, their families/caregivers and services providers and see changes over time. This will help our services be accountable to youth, and support service providers and youth in their care journeys. This process looks like:   

• Talking with youth and families/caregivers throughout British Columbia, and Canada, and asking what they need. This may include advisory panels, focus groups, town halls and other forms of dialogue and convening. These can be in person or virtual, so everyone in British Columbia can be involved!
• Working with youth and families/caregivers in British Columbia to design measurement tools for those needs.
• Testing the measurement tools with youth, families/caregivers and service providers as part of the services experience, gathering feedback and updating the tools based on the feedback.

Importance

Foundry’s mission is to support youth to live a good life through our vision of transforming access to services for young people ages 12-24 in British Columbia. Measurement development and testing are key to making sure we are fulfilling this mission and vision. Our research team examines this process to understand and share best practices for continuous improvement. 

Key Questions

• What outcomes matter to youth when it comes to their health and wellness? How can we measure those outcomes? 
• What does a good service experience look and feel like for youth? How can we measure that? 
• What does “good health” look and feel like for youth?  
• How do we measure the effectiveness of our services? 
• How do we improve our services? 

Resources

• Measurebetter.org: Mobilizing measurement to improve clinical care.  
• Barbic, S. P., Leon, A., Manion, I., Irving, S., Zivanovic, R., Jenkins, E., Ben-David, S., Azar, P., Salmon, A., Helps, C., Gillingham, S., Beaulieu, T., Pattison, R., Talon, C., Oyedele, O., Tee, K., & Mathias, S. (2019). Understanding the mental health and recovery needs of Canadian youth with mental health disorders: A Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) collaboration protocol. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 13, 6. 
• Regnault, A., Willgoss, T., Barbic, S., & On behalf of the International Society for Quality of Life Research Mixed Methods Special Interest Group. (2018). Towards the use of mixed methods inquiry as best practice in health outcomes research. Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes, 2(1), 19.  
• Barbic, S., Brooks, E., Lassak, N., Khaleghi, M., Zenone, M., Ow, N., Leon, A., & Mathias, S. (2022). “It cannot be boring!”: Developing a measure of function for young adults accessing integrated youth services.  Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes, 6(1), 92. 
• Rodriguez Duque, S., Tal, E., & Barbic, S. P. (2024). The role of ethical and social values in psychosocial measurement. Measurement, 225, 113993.

Related Studies and Initiatives 

• Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Studies 
• Measure Better Study 
• Patient-Reported Outcome Measure of Function (F-PROM Study) 

To learn more about each of these specific projects, scroll further down the website to the “Current Studies” and “Completed Studies” sections! 

Overview  

Mental health challenges affect one in every five people in Canada every year. British Columbia declared a public health emergency in 2016 due to the ongoing toxic drug crisis. Both mental health and substance use challenges are deeply affecting many young people in our communities.   

Our research team studies youth mental health and substance use challenges, barriers and facilitators for accessing services related to mental health and substance use, and the impact of these services and other interventions. We ask youth about their mental health and substance use and how it impacts them. We also ask youth, their families/caregivers and service providers about the gaps they see for mental health and substance use services and what can be done to close these gaps. This research is used to understand youth mental health and substance use in British Columbia and improve related services. 

Importance  

Youth and their families/caregivers often seek services related to mental health and substance use, and these are two of Foundry’s core service streams. It is important to understand youth mental health and substance use to optimize and improve Foundry services. 

Key Questions  

• What are youths’ experiences with mental health challenges? 
• What are youths’ experiences with substance use? 
• How many youths in British Columbia need services for mental health or substance use challenges? 
• What types of mental health and substance use services do youth want? 
• What services do the families/caregivers of youth want? 
• What barriers/challenges do youth face in accessing mental health and substance use services in British Columbia? In Canada?
• How can these barriers/challenges be addressed?

Resources  

• ITT Project resources developed by youth, families/caregivers and service providers in Kelowna, Prince George, Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia: 
  • Parents like us. The unofficial survival guide to parenting a young person with a substance use disorder 
  • Youth Service Assessment Tool  
  • Virtual Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) Guide  

• Barbic, S. P., Leon, A., Manion, I., Irving, S., Zivanovic, R., Jenkins, E., Ben-David, S., Azar, P., Salmon, A., Helps, C., Gillingham, S., Beaulieu, T., Pattison, R., Talon, C., Oyedele, O., Tee, K., & Mathias, S. (2019). Understanding the mental health and recovery needs of Canadian youth with mental health disorders: A Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) collaboration protocol. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 13, 6. 
• Dosso, J. A., Kailley, J. N., Martin, S. E., & Robillard, J. M. (2023). “A safe space for sharing feelings”: Perspectives of children with lived experiences of anxiety on social robots. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 7(12), 118. 
• Giang, K., Charlesworth, R., Thulien, M., Mulholland, A., Barker, B., Brar, R., Pauly, B., & Fast, D. (2023). Risk mitigation guidance and safer supply prescribing among young people who use drugs in the context of COVID-19 and overdose emergencies. International Journal of Drug Policy, 115, 104023.  
• Hawke, L. D., Barbic, S. P., Voineskos, A., Szatmari, P., Cleverley, K., Hayes, E., Relihan, J., Daley, M., Courtney, D., Cheung, A., Darnay, K., & Henderson, J. L. (2020). Impacts of COVID-19 on youth mental health, substance use, and well-being: A rapid survey of clinical and community samples. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 65(10), 701-709.  
• Kreim, S., Marchand, K., Mallia, E., Dubras, R., McMaster, W. R., Tee, K., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2023). Identifying early intervention opportunities for illicit stimulant use: A cross-sectional study of factors associated with illicit stimulant use among young people accessing integrated youth services in British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 209076.  
• Leadbeater, B., Walker, M., Bowen, F., Barbic, S., Crooks, C., Mathias, S., Moretti, M., Sukhawathanakul, P., Pepler, D., Angelius, K., Carr, W., Conrod, P., Pike, I., Cummingham, T., Lawlor, M. S., McGrath, P., & Lingley-Pottie, P. (2023). Disseminating evidence-based preventive interventions to promote wellness and mental health in children and youth: Opportunities, gaps, and challenges. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 42(4), 91. 
• Marchand, K., Fogarty, O., Pellat, K. M., Vig, K., Melnychuk, J., Katan, C., Khan, F., Turuba, R., Kongnetiman, L., Tallon, C., Fairbank, J., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2022). “We need to build a better bridge”: Findings from a multi-site qualitative analysis of opportunities for improving opioid treatment services for youth. Harm Reduction Journal, 19(37).  
• Marchand, K., Liu, G., Mallia, E., Ow, N., Glowacki, K., Hastings, K. G., Mathias, S., Sutherland, J. M., & Barbic, S. (2022). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol or drug use symptoms and service need among youth: a cross-sectional sample from British Columbia, Canada. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 17(1), 82. 
• Marchand, K., Turuba, R., Katan, C., Brasset, C., Fogarty, O., Tallon, C., Fairbank, J., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2022). Becoming our young people’s case managers: caregivers’ experiences, needs, and ideas for improving opioid use treatments for young people using opioids. Substance Abuse, Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 17(34). Substance Abuse, Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 17(34).  
• McInerney, K., Marchand, K., Buckley, J., Gao, C., Kestler, A., Mathias, S., Argyle, A., & Barbic, S. (2023). Informing youth-centred opioid agonist treatment: Findings from a retrospective chart review of youths’ characteristics and patterns of opioid agonist treatment engagement in a novel integrated youth services program. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 17(10), 1028.
• Mitchell, K., Durante, S. E., Pellatt, K., Richardson, C. G., Mathias, S., & Buxton, J. A. (2017). Naloxone and the Inner City Youth Experience (NICYE): A community-based participatory research study examining young people’s perceptions of the BC take home naloxone program. Harm Reduction Journal, 14(1), 34.  
• Ow, N., Marchand, K., Liu, G., Mallia, E., Mathias, S., Sutherland, J., & Barbic, S. P. (2023). Patterns of service utilization among youth with substance use service need: A cohort study. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 18, 62.   
• Pattison, R., Puyat, J. H., Giesbrecht, A., Zenone, M., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2021). Examining mental health differences between transgender, gender nonconforming, and cisgender young people in British Columbia. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12(1660). 
  • Write-up about this paper: The importance of supporting the mental health of transgender and/or gender nonconforming youth at the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes.  
• ​Quinlan-Davidson, M., Shan, D., Courtney, D., Barbic, S., Cleverley, K., Hawke, L. D., Ma, C., Prebeg, M., Relihan, J., Szatmari, P., & Henderson, J. L. (2023). Associations over the COVID-19 pandemic period and the mental health and substance use of youth not in employment, education or training in Ontario, Canada: A longitudinal, cohort study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 17(1), 105.  
• Rozylo, J., Mitchell, K., Nikoo, M., Durante, S. E., Barbic, S. P., Lin, D., Mathias, S., & Azar, P. (2020). Case report: Successful induction of buprenorphine/naloxone using a microdosing schedule and assertive outreach. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 15(1), 2. 
• Samji, H., Dove, N., Ames, M., Barbic, S., Sones, M., & Leadbeater, B. (2021). Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults in British Columbia. British Columbia Centre for Disease Control in collaboration with the Office of the Provincial Health Officer of British Columbia.   
• Turuba, R., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Brockmann, V., Tallon, C., Irving, S., Mathias, S., Henderson, J., Marchand, K., & Barbic, S. (2022). A qualitative study exploring how young people perceive and experience substance use services in British Columbia, Canada. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 17(43). 
• Turuba, R., Katan, C., Marchand, K., Brasset, C., Ewert, A., Tallon, C., Fairbank, J., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2024). Weaving community-based participatory research and co-design to improve opioid use treatments and services for youth, caregivers, and service providers. PLOS ONE, 19(4), e0297532. 
• ​Turuba, R., Toddington, C., Tymoschuk, M., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Brockmann, V., Tallon, C., Irving, S., Mathias, S., Henderson, J. L., & Barbic, S. (2023). “A peer support worker can really be there supporting the youth throughout the whole process”: A qualitative study exploring the role of peer support in providing substance use services to youth. Harm Reduction Journal, 20, 118.  

Related Studies and Initiatives 

• Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Studies 
• The TikTok Project: TikTok and Youth Mental Health during COVID-19 
• Addressing the Wider Impacts of COVID-19: How Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted Young People’s Substance Use and Resilience Behaviours Over Time? 
• Role of Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) in a Substance Use Strategy for British Columbia Youth 
• Improving Treatment Together (ITT) Project 
• The Experience Project 
• Youth 4 Youth Advisory Council (The Experience Project) 
• Emergency Department to Foundry (ED2Foundry) Study 
• PreVenture 
• Sharing the Podium: Identifying Solutions to Meaningfully Collaborate with Youth in Mental Health and Substance Use Research

To learn more about each of these specific projects, scroll further down the website to the “Current Studies” and “Completed Studies” sections! 

Overview

Peer support emphasizes a mutual relationship based on the sharing of lived and living experience to provide support, empowerment, hope and mentorship. Peer support can be an option for a wide range of needs – including support for mental health and substance use challenges.

Importance  

Peer support is an integral part of Foundry’s core services. Both youth and families/caregivers can access peer support. It’s important to study peer support to find out what works and what doesn’t so that services can be improved. 

Key Questions

• What are the experiences of youth and families/caregivers with peer support? 
• What are best practices for youth peer support? 
• What are best practices for family/caregiver peer support? 
• How can we make peer support more accessible? 
• What is the impact of youth peer support services on youth accessing Foundry?  
• What is the impact of the occupation (or position) of Peer Support Worker on Youth Peer Support Workers at Foundry? 
• What does integration of peer support within a shared care setting look like, feel like?

Resources

• Peer support at Foundry  
• Turuba, R., Toddington, C., Tymoschuk, M., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Brockmann, V., Tallon, C., Irving, S., Mathias, S., Henderson, J. L., & Barbic, S. (2023). “A peer support worker can really be there supporting the youth throughout the whole process”: A qualitative study exploring the role of peer support in providing substance use services to youth. Harm Reduction Journal, 20, 118.

Related Studies and Initiatives

• Youth Peer Support Study 
• The Experience Project 
• Youth 4 Youth Advisory Council (The Experience Project) 

To learn more about each of these specific projects, scroll further down the website to the “Current Studies” and “Completed Studies” sections!

Overview

Maybe you’ve heard the term NEET – not in employment, education or training. Youth are particularly at-risk for being NEET – unable to find a job or pursue additional education, often for complex reasons.   

New options are emerging to help youth find and maintain employment, education or training. One example is individual placement and support (IPS), which emphasizes providing support services tailored to the unique needs of each person.  

Foundry is working with partners across British Columbia and Canada to understand what helps youth achieve employment or education goals. We are sharing our innovative approaches at the provincial, national and international level to help these programs expand and adapt for folks who need them. 

Importance

When asked about personal goals, youth often share goals related to their employment and/or education. Furthermore, youth can face unique challenges and barriers to achieving employment or education. Studying what services are most effective at supporting youth in this area, and what can be done to address or overcome barriers to their employment and/or education, can therefore support improved youth wellbeing.

Key Questions

• What are the barriers and facilitators for youth entering employment or education? 
• Are the needs of youth being addressed by existing employment and education services? 
• How can Foundry innovation improve employment and education services for all youth in British Columbia?

Resources

• Foundry Work & Education Program
• Tsang, V. W. L., Alqutub, D., Wenger, M., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2023). The Foundry Work and Education Program: A vocational rehabiliation program. British Columbia Medical Journal, 65(3), 88-91.  
• Gmitroski, T., Bradley, C., Heinemann, L., Liu, G., Blanchard, P., Beck, C., Mathias, S., Leon, A., & Barbic, S. P. (2018). Barriers and facilitators to employment for young adults with mental illness: A scoping review. BMJ Open, 8(12), e024487.   
• Kwan, A., Conroy, K., Barron, K., Nandlall, N., Iyer, S. N., Henderson, J. L., & Barbic, S. (2022). Navigating supported employment and education services for youths during COVID-19 and severe weather events. Psychiatric Services, 74(4), 434-436. 
  • Write-up related to this paper: Through hell or high water: Keeping youth services accessible in times of unprecedented disasters at the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes.
• Ow, N., Leon, A., Thom, B., Herwynen, J., Mathias, S. M., & Barbic, S. (2022). “I felt supported by the peers in my group”: Analyzing experiences of youths with mental health challenges of a supported employment program in Canada. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 32(4), 753-763. 
• Ow, N., Marchand, K., Glowacki, K., Alqutub, D., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. P. (2022). YESS: A feasibility study of a supported employment program for youths with mental health disorders. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 856905. 
• Quinlan-Davidson, M., Shan, D., Courtney, D., Barbic, S., Cleverley, K., Hawke, L. D., Ma, C., Prebeg, M., Relihan, J., Szatmari, P., & Henderson, J. L. (2023). Associations over the COVID-19 pandemic period and the mental health and substance use of youth not in employment, education or training in Ontario, Canada: A longitudinal, cohort study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 17(1), 105. 

Related Studies and Initiatives

• Foundry Work & Education Program 
• What Works for Work? The Lift/Futur en tête Project 

To learn more about each of these specific projects, scroll further down the website to the “Current Studies” and “Completed Studies” sections! 

Overview

Using social media is a daily occurrence for most people in Canada. Furthermore, accessing health care and other services virtually has become a new reality for many of us in the last few years. Many parts of our day-to-day lives are now online, but how does this affect our health and wellness? 

Foundry Research is working to understand a range of questions related to how youth interact with each other and with services online – this includes everything from the impact of virtual services to the effect of social media on youth mental health.  

Importance

Today’s youth are more digitally connected than any previous generation. It’s critical to understand how this impacts youth health and wellness. 

Key Questions

• How can we use virtual services to improve service access for youth? 
• How do virtual services compare to in-person services for youth? 
• How does social media affect youth mental health? 
• Where do youth go to get information about mental health or mental health services? 

Resources

• Understanding TikTok’s impacts on public health: Interview with Foundry Head Scientist Dr. Skye Barbic and PhD student Marco Zenone. 
• Bagenal, J., Zenone, M., Maani, N., & Barbic, S. (2023). Embracing the non-traditional: Alcohol advertising on TikTok. BMJ Global Health, 8(1), e009954. 
• Chasca, W., Nerada, S., Zenone, M., & Barbic, S. (2023). TikTok and #OccupationalTherapy: Cross-sectional study. JMIR Formative Research, 7, e45554. 
• Ding, X., Wuerth, K., Sakakibara, B., Schmidt, J., Parde, N., Holsti, L., & Barbic, S. (2023). Understanding mobile health and youth mental health: Scoping review. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 11, e44951.  
• Zenone, M., Kenworthy, N., & Barbic, S. (2021). The paradoxical relationship between health promotion and the social media industry. Health Promotion Practice, 15248399211064640. 
• Zenone, M., Ow, N., & Barbic, S. (2021). TikTok and public health: A proposed research agenda. BMJ Global Health, 6(11), e007648. 
• Zenone, M., Raimundo, A., Nanji, S., Uday, N., Tee, K., Ewert, A., Helfrich, W., Chan, G., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2022). Implementing integrated-youth services virtually in British Columbia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrated Healthcare Journal, 4(1), e000089. 

Related Studies and Initiatives

• The TikTok Project: TikTok and Youth Mental Health during COVID-19 
• Digital Divide Study 

To learn more about each of these specific projects, scroll further down the website to the “Current Studies” and “Completed Studies” sections! 

Overview 

Adolescence and young adulthood mark important periods in the onset of mental health and substance use challenges. Young people also experienced major stressors and disruptions to normal developmental milestones during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to increased concerns about young peoples’ mental health and substance use. 

In response, we are conducting research on youth substance use in British Columbia to understand the factors that protect against substance use or increase the risk for substance use. We’re also examining how young people access services for substance use issues and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted youths’ needs for services.  

After seeing the results, we will work to develop interventions for substance use by young people, taking into account the results we see for specific communities and populations in order to make the interventions relevant and appropriate.  

This project is led by Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia) and Dr. Kirsten Marchand (Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Michael Smith Health Research BC Trainee). 

Funders 

This study is funded by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), sponsored by CIHR in collaboration with the CIHR’s Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies, the HIV/AIDS Research Initiative, the Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH), and the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR). 

Current Status  

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic. View Dr. Marchand’s profile and publications on ResearchGate or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information. 

Study Outputs and Resources

• Kreim, S., Marchand, K., Mallia, E., Dubras, R., McMaster, W. R., Tee, K., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2023). Identifying early intervention opportunities for illicit stimulant use: A cross-sectional study of factors associated with illicit stimulant use among young people accessing integrated youth services in British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 209076.   
• Marchand, K., Liu, G., Mallia, E., Ow, N., Glowacki, K., Hastings, K. G., Mathias, S., Sutherland, J. M., & Barbic, S. (2022). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol or drug use symptoms and service need among youth: A cross-sectional sample from British Columbia, Canada. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 17(1), 82.  
• ​Ow, N., Marchand, K., Liu, G., Mallia, E., Mathias, S., Sutherland, J., & Barbic, S. P. (2023). Patterns of service utilization among youth with substance use service need: A cohort study. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 18, 62.  

Overview  

In Canada, a quarter of young people will experience a mental health or substance use disorder. Many of them will present to an emergency department as the first point of contact with health services for these concerns. However, emergency departments usually do not have pathways in place to help young people connect with services in their community to get the help they need for mental health and substance use issues. 

For the Emergency Department Standards project, we will develop a standard that emergency departments can use to direct young people with mental health and substance use concerns to needed youth-centred health services. We will use a combination of methods during two stages of work to create a draft of the standards and then dialogue with young people, emergency department physicians and staff, community health service providers, and decision makers to refine and finalize the standards. 

This project is led by Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia). 

Funders 

This study is funded by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) sponsored by CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA), in partnership with Health Canada. 

Current Status  

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information.

Study Outputs and Resources

• Coming soon!

Overview

Youth may experience many barriers when seeking stable housing. Supports are available to help youth, but it is unclear which programs and supports are consistently impactful over the journey to stable housing. 

This is a pan-Canadian study that is interviewing youth who have experienced homelessness to understand their journeys and make recommendations about how best to assist youth to attain and remain in stable housing. These interviews will take place over the course of two years to gain insight into the short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes of housing transitions. Foundry and Foundry Vancouver-Granville are supporting this project for the Vancouver site. 

The national project is led by Dr. Tyler Frederick (Associate Professor at Ontario Tech University), with leadership from Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia) for the Vancouver site. Thank you to Foundry Vancouver-Granville for their participation as the Vancouver site.

Funders

This project is supported by funding from Making the Shift. 

Current Status

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information. 

Study Outputs and Resources  

• Project information at Making the Shift  

Overview

Foundry is an integrated youth services organization, with multiple services linked together to ensure youth receive the best care for their needs. In each community, Foundry brings together local partners to deliver the core Foundry services. These partners must coordinate their activities and work together to meet Foundry’s vision of transforming access to services for young people ages 12-24 in British Columbia. 

The Foundry Integration Measure (FIM) Study is assessing the integration of partners at Foundry centres through surveys and interviews. We are asking questions about engagement with youth, families and communities; relationship with the provincial office (Foundry Central Office); communication and collaboration between service providers and partner organizations; support for ongoing training; and many other markers of integration. These results will help us refine the Foundry model and improve integration among both current and forthcoming Foundry centres. 

This project is led by Dr. Karen Tee (Co-Executive Director at Foundry) and Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia). 

Current Status

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information. 

Study Outputs and Resources

• Coming soon!

Overview

A higher percentage of youth are not in education, employment or training (commonly called NEET) compared to other age groups. This percentage increased for youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Youth may have left education or jobs due to complications and changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. When it comes to employment, youth often find themselves in an employment and experience conundrum: jobs want applicants to already have experience, but youth need jobs in order to gain that experience. Youth with mental health or substance use issues may also face additional barriers to obtaining education and employment. 

At Foundry, we have launched the Foundry Work & Education Program to help tackle these issues. Foundry Work & Education is a supported employment and education program based on the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model. This work/study program is designed to provide additional support for youth trying to enter the job market, increase employment-related skills and/or pursue education and training opportunities. Together with nine Foundry communities (including Foundry Virtual), our research team is interested in understanding which aspects of the IPS model are helpful to youth and which may need changes. These results will be used to enhance the program and provide guidance to other organizations that want to implement similar programs.  

Research into the Foundry Work & Education program is led by Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia). 

Funders 

Research about the Foundry Work & Education program is made possible by the support from the British Columbia Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). 

Current Status

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information. 

Study Outputs and Resources

• Foundry Work & Education Program  
• BC Government: Grant supports jobs for youth facing barriers to employment 
• Tsang, V. W. L., Alqutub, D., Wenger, M., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2023). The Foundry Work and Education Program: A vocational rehabiliation program. British Columbia Medical Journal, 65(3), 88-91. 
• Wenger, M., Warren, C., Ong, A.-J., Al-Qutub, D., Camara, R., Tee, K., & Barbic, S. (2022). Experience mapping: Exploring the thoughts, feelings, and actions of youth as they enroll and complete an IPS program. Poster presented at the International Association for Youth Mental Health (IAYMH) Conference on Youth Mental Health, September 29-October 1, 2022, Copenhagen, Denmark.  
• Warren, C., Ong, A.-J., Kwan, A., Zimmerman, R., Wenger, M., Al-Qutub, D., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2022). Facilitators and barriers in bringing health services research to clinical practice for a novel supported employment intervention for young people. Abstract presented as a tabletop presentation at the International Association for Youth Mental Health (IAYMH) Conference on Youth Mental Health, September 29-October 1, 2022, Copenhagen, Denmark. 
  • Video presentation: Facilitators and barriers in bringing research to practice for a youth supported employment program 

Overview  

When youth with mental health concerns seek care, they often complete numerous assessments with their service provider. But how should these assessments be used to figure out the most appropriate services? And are these assessments actually providing useful information when it comes to youth clients? 

The Measure Better study is examining these assessments, called psychometric measures, and developing a new conceptual and methodological framework “to study the benefits and limitations of psychometric methods in the context of youth mental healthcare.” As part of this project, service providers will receive training for this framework to understand best practices for providing care to youth. 

This study is co-led by Dr. Eran Tal (Canada Research Chair in Data Ethics and Associate Professor at McGill University) and Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia).  

Funders 

The Measure Better Study is supported by the Canada Research Chairs Program; Fonds de recherche du Quebec; Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives at McGill University; and the McGill Arts Undergraduate Society Arts Student Employment Fund. 

Current Status  

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information. 

Study Outputs and Resources

• Measurebetter.org: Mobilizing measurement to improve clinical care  
• Rodriguez Duque, S., Tal, E., & Barbic, S. P. (2024). The role of ethical and social values in psychosocial measurement. Measurement, 225, 113993. 

Overview  

When youth experience mental health and substance use issues, it’s important to understand changes in their function, such as their participation in daily activities. Patient-reported outcomes can be used to assess the effectiveness of the mental health care and substance use support that youth access. However, tools for patient-reported outcomes have been developed with input from adults – there have been no tools that measure function that were developed specifically for youth.  

The Patient-Reported Outcome Measure of Function (F-PROM) is a tool developed specifically for measuring youth function. We are studying the effectiveness of using the F-PROM and optimizing it based on youth feedback.  

This project is led by Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia) in collaboration with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Thank you to Foundry North Shore, Foundry Prince George, Foundry Richmond and Foundry Vancouver-Granville for their participation as the study sites.

Current Status  

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information.

Study Outputs and Resources  

• Coming soon! 

Overview 

Youth in British Columbia have been terribly affected by opioids. One option for addressing this crisis is opioid agonist treatment (OAT), which gives people access to prescribed medications that can help limit the use of potentially toxic street drugs. However, limited evidence is available about how to best provide OAT to youth.  

For this project, we will review research literature about OAT for youth. We will then use this information as a starting point for interviews with experts in the field, including those with lived experience, service providers and decision makers. These interviews will help us validate the results of the literature review and understand the role of youth OAT as part of a broader substance use strategy for youth in British Columbia. 

This project is led by Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia) and Dr. Kirsten Marchand (Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Michael Smith Health Research BC Trainee).

Funders 

This study is funded by a grant from the British Columbia Ministry of Health in partnership with University of British Columbia Health. 

Current Status  

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic. View Dr. Marchand’s profile and publications on ResearchGate or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information.

Study Outputs and Resources  

• Coming soon! 

Overview

According to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), “Patient-oriented research is about engaging patients, their caregivers, and families as partners in the research process. This engagement helps to ensure that studies focus on patient-identified priorities, which ultimately leads to better patient outcomes.”  

The Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) studies at Foundry embody this definition by engaging youth to understand their needs. Too often, research projects define outcomes that youth do not find useful or relevant. With the SPOR studies, we ask youth about their definitions of health and wellness and what they look like to them. The results will be used to develop future projects, Foundry services and measures fit for youth. 

The SPOR studies are led by Dr. Steve Mathias (C0-Executive Director at Foundry and Clinical Assistant Professor at University of British Columbia (UBC)) and Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at UBC). 

Funders 

The SPOR studies are funded by CIHR and a private donor. 

Current Status

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information. 

Study Outputs and Resources

• Barbic, S. P., Leon, A., Manion, I., Irving, S., Zivanovic, R., Jenkins, E., Ben-David, S., Azar, P., Salmon, A., Helps, C., Gillingham, S., Beaulieu, T., Pattison, R., Talon, C., Oyedele, O., Tee, K., & Mathias, S. (2019). Understanding the mental health and recovery needs of Canadian youth with mental health disorders: A Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) collaboration protocol. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 13, 6. 
• Warren, C., Beggs, T., Tsou, S., Woodburne, R., Marchand, K., & Barbic, S. (2023). Uncovering what mental health and recovery means to youth ages 12-15: A deliberative dialogue. Workshop handout presented at Frayme, February 22-23, 2023, Vancouver, Canada.

Overview

TikTok has exploded in popularity, reaching over 2 billion downloads in 2020. The increase in TiTtok’s user base around many parts of the world, including Canada, coincided with changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many young people regularly use TikTok to access information about COVID-19 and mental health and to connect with peers. However, there has been limited research about the health information available on TikTok and how young people use that information. 

The TikTok Project objectives are:

1. Assess the quality of mental health information and advice on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 
2. Elevate the voices of diverse young people to understand how Canadian youth navigate TikTok during the pandemic to learn about mental health and connect to services.  

This project will use multiple methods including: 

1. Content analysis of TikTok videos tagged with #mentalhealth,  
2. Sentiment analysis to determine if content is positive or negative and 
3. Qualitative interviews with 30-40 diverse youth from across Canada to understand barriers and facilitators for using TikTok to navigate mental health information and services.  

This project will further our understanding of COVID-19 impacts on young people across Canada and how these impacts have translated into new ways of learning about mental health, building communities and connecting to services.  

The TikTok Project is led by Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia). 

Funders 

This study is funded by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), sponsored by CIHR with the Institute of Infection and Immunity (III) through the HIV/AIDS Research Initiative, CIHR’s Centre for Research in Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies and the Healthy Cities Research Initiative (HCRI). 

Current Status 

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information.

Study Outputs and Resources

• Understanding TikTok’s impacts on public health: Interview with Foundry Head Scientist Dr. Skye Barbic and PhD student Marco Zenone. 
• Zenone, M., Ow, N., & Barbic, S. (2021). TikTok and public health: A proposed research agenda. BMJ Global Health, 6(11), e007648.  
• Zenone, M., Kenworthy, N., & Barbic, S. (2021). The paradoxical relationship between health promotion and the social media industry. Health Promotion Practice, 15248399211064640. 
• Bagenal, J., Zenone, M., Maani, N., & Barbic, S. (2023). Embracing the non-traditional: Alcohol advertising on TikTok. BMJ Global Health, 8(1), e009954. 
• Chasca, W., Nerada, S., Zenone, M., & Barbic, S. (2023). TikTok and #OccupationalTherapy: Cross-sectional study. JMIR Formative Research, 7, e45554. 

Overview  

A Learning Health System (LHS) is focused on continuously improving health services for everyone – decision makers, service providers and, most importantly, clients and their families. An LHS uses real-time data to build new knowledge, which is used to inform practice, such as health care services. Ongoing service delivery creates more data and leads to more knowledge, and so the cycle continues. Ideally, this cycle of continuous learning means that client services can be quickly optimized to be the best possible based on available information. It also means research findings are implemented into practice in a timely manner – this could include using standards around best practices and guidelines. 

Foundry is working to fully implement an LHS framework into its integrated youth services (IYS). As part of this effort, Foundry is collaborating with multiple IYS initiatives across Canada in an IYS network of networks called IYS-Net.  

In Phase 0, Foundry is testing an IYS-LHS framework. The project will assess 1) the barriers and facilitators to implementing this framework to support the adoption of IYS standards and 2) the actions Foundry can take to share lessons with other IYS initiatives across Canada to support standards implementation. The results will provide key information for creating standards for IYS to improve outcomes and experiences for youth and families/caregivers across Canada. 

This project is led by Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia) and Dr. Steve Mathias (Co-Executive Director at Foundry and Clinical Assistant Professor at University of British Columbia). 

Funders 

This study is funded by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) sponsored by the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA), in partnership with Health Canada, the Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) and the Graham Boeckh Foundation. 

Current Status

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information. 

Study Outputs and Resources  

• Coming soon! 

Overview

Youth are being disproportionately affected by the current economic instability, with a higher rate of young people not engaged in education, employment or training compared with other age groups. Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is a model of supported employment that has been successful in finding and sustaining employment, education and training to individuals who face barriers, such as mental health challenges. IPS has been studied in many contexts, but we need to understand how it works in an integrated youth services setting. Lift/Futur en tête aims to address this gap. 

Lift/Futur en tête is a pan-Canadian project that aims to implement and study IPS in an integrated youth services setting in 12 youth hubs/centres across the country. Lift/Futur en tête is a collaborative initiative among Foundry, two other integrated youth services (ACCESS Open Minds and Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO)) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Four of the 12 sites are Foundry centres: Foundry Penticton, Foundry Kelowna, Foundry Campbell River and Foundry Comox. We aim to understand the process of implementing IPS in an integrated youth services setting and the impact of the program though surveys and interviews with service providers and youth accessing the program.  

This study is led by Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia), Dr. Jo Henderson [Executive Director of Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO)] and Director of the McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health at CAMH) and Dr. Srividya Iyer (Scientific-Clinical Director at ACCESS Open Minds and Professor at McGill University).    

Funders 

Lift/Futur en tête is funded by the Government of Canada under the Future Skills program. 

Current Status  

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information. 

Study Outputs and Resources

• What works for work? Employment integration in youth service hubs across Canada  
• Kwan, A., Conroy, K., Barron, K., Nandlall, N., Iyer, S. N., Henderson, J. L., & Barbic, S. (2022). Navigating supported employment and education services for youths during COVID-19 and severe weather events. Psychiatric Services, 74(4), 434-436.  
  • Write-up related to this paper: Through hell or high water: Keeping youth services accessible in times of unprecedented disasters at the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes. 

Overview

Peer support emphasizes a mutual relationship based on the sharing of lived and living experience to provide support, empowerment, hope and mentorship. Peer support is an integral part of Foundry’s core services. However, research on the impacts of youth peer support on youth accessing the service and the youth providing the service is very limited to date, particularly about youth peer support in an integrated youth services setting.  

The youth peer support study aims to address this gap by examining the experiences and health outcomes of youth accessing peer support and youth peer support workers providing support. The study will be co-designed alongside youth peer support workers and youth and will use mixed methods including qualitative, quantitative and arts-based methods. 

The project is led by Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia), in collaboration with members of the Foundry peer support program team.   

Funders 

The youth peer support study is made possible by the support from the British Columbia Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR).

Current Status  

This project is in progress. Find updates on X (formerly Twitter) @FoundryBC and @skye_barbic or email us at info@foundrybc.ca for more information. 

Study Outputs and Resources

• Coming soon!

Overview 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on mental health and substance use, with both positive and negative changes. Researchers are working to understand what factors influence mental health and substance use responses to the pandemic and how to promote recovery. 

The COVID-19 and Youth Study interviewed cohorts of young people in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada, and in Ireland to understand how the pandemic affected their mental health and substance use. The study began in spring 2020 and continued into 2022 to capture changes in experiences over time. 

The study was led by Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia), Dr. Jo Henderson (Executive Director of Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) and Director of the McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)) and Dr. Aileen O’Reilly (Research and Evaluation Manager at Jigsaw – The National Centre for Youth Mental Health).

Funders 

This study was supported by funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Study Outputs and Resources 

• The BC COVID-19 & Youth Summit Report

Overview 

Access to health information and services through smartphones and computers may seem universal, but not everyone has the means or ability to seek these supports. For youth with mental health concerns, it may be particularly difficult to find and use these digital technologies.

The Digital Divide Study investigated the barriers and facilitators for youth with mental health issues to access digital technologies that provide support for their mental health concerns. The study consisted of: 

1. A review of the current mental health digital technology landscape and engagement with youth and service providers across British Columbia for their perspectives on improving access and health outcomes related to these technologies, 
2. A qualitative study exploring the barriers and facilitators that youth ages 12-24 face when accessing digital mental health technology in British Columbia, and 
3. A series of dialogues with key groups (such as Foundry leaders, Foundry virtual service providers, families/caregivers and youth) to both validate findings from the first two parts and to discuss application and movement for future research, practice and policy considerations.   

This study was led by Dr. Shelly Ben-David (@sbendavidphd, Associate Professor at University of British Columbia – Okanagan) and Dr. Skye Barbic (@skye_barbic, Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia).

Funders 

This study was funded by the BC SUPPORT unit.

Study Outputs and Resources  

• Digital Divide Project Overview in the BC SUPPORT Unit Patient Engagement Methods Cluster  
• CREST.BD blog posts about the Digital Divide Study: 
  • Bridging the Digital Divide Among Youth in BC: Guest post with Dr. Shelly Ben-David  
  • Bridging the Digital Divide of Scoping Reviews in Health: Guest post with Dr. Skye Barbic  
  • Behind the Scences of a Youth Research Assistant: Guest post with youth research assistant Julia Gray  
  • The Digital Divide Study: My First Experience Working on Qualitative Research: Guest post with Naomi Laurin  
  • Understanding the Digital Divide among Diverse Youth Accessing Digital Mental Health Services in BC: Guest post with Dr. Shelly Ben-David  

Overview  

When facing mental health and substance use issues, many youth have difficulty finding the support they need and end up turning to the emergency department after they are in extreme distress. But when the emergency visit is over, where do they turn for ongoing care?  

The Emergency Department to Foundry (ED2Foundry) Study examined ways to improve care for youth after they visit the emergency department. The study team engaged with service providers and clients to design pathways that help emergency departments direct youth to Foundry services to receive ongoing support.  

The investigators leading this study were Dr. Frank Scheuermeyer (Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes Emergency Medicine Program Head, Director of Research at St. Paul’s Emergency Department, and Clinical Associate Professor at University of British Columbia (UBC)) and Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at UBC). 

Funders 

This study was funded by Michael Smith Health Research BC (previously known as the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research) and supported by Foundry, the BC Emergency Medicine Network and the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes. 

Study Outputs and Resources 

• ED2Foundry: Co-designing interventions to improve youth experience in the ED (In the News Feature at the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes) 
• Glowacki, K., Whyte, M., Weinstein, J., Marchand, K., Barbic, D., Scheuermeyer, F., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2022). Exploring how to enhance care and pathways between the emergency department and integrated youth services for young people with mental health and substance use concerns. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 615. 
  • Write-up about this paper: ED2Foundry in Evidence Speaks (May 2022) at the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes. 

Overview 

Youth in Canada face increased risks due to substance use. The ongoing toxic drug crisis has been particularly devastating for youth and their families/caregivers. New approaches are needed to help youth who use substances and their families/caregivers find the care they need. 

The Improving Treatment Together (ITT) Project was a community-based participatory research project that engaged youth who use opioids, their families/caregivers and service providers to understand their needs around youth substance use. After the needs assessment, participants developed prototypes, such as new services or resources, to address identified needs. Selected prototypes were co-developed with youth, families/caregivers and/or service providers from each partnering community and implemented and evaluated to assess their usefulness and identify areas for improvement. The overall goal of this project was to improve experiences and outcomes for youth who use opioids.  

Project leaders included Jill Fairbank (Senior Knowledge Broker at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA)), Dr. Kirsten Marchand (Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Foundry), Dr. Steve Mathias (Co-Executive Director at Foundry and Clinical Assistant Professor at University of British Columbia (UBC)) and Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at UBC). 

Funders 

The ITT Project at Foundry was made possible by support from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA). 

Study Outputs and Resources 

• The ITT Project web page 
• The ITT Project resources developed by youth, families/caregivers and service providers in Kelowna, Prince George, Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia: 
  • Parents like us. The unofficial survival guide to parenting a young person with a substance use disorder  
  • Youth Service Assessment Tool  
  • Virtual Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) Guide  
• Marchand, K., Tallon, C., Katan, C., Fairbank, J., Fogarty, O., Pellatt, K. M., Turuba, R., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2021). Improving Treatment Together: A protocol for a multi-phase, community-based participatory, and co-design project to improve youth opioid treatment service experiences in British Columbia. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 16(1), 53.  
• Marchand, K., Fogarty, O., Pellat, K. M., Vig, K., Melnychuk, J., Katan, C., Khan, F., Turuba, R., Kongnetiman, L., Tallon, C., Fairbank, J., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2022). “We need to build a better bridge”: Findings from a multi-site qualitative analysis of opportunities for improving opioid treatment services for youth. Harm Reduction Journal, 19(37).  
• Marchand, K., Turuba, R., Katan, C., Brasset, C., Fogarty, O., Tallon, C., Fairbank, J., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2022). Becoming our young people’s case managers: Caregivers’ experiences, need, and ideas for improving opioid use treatments for young people using opioids. Substance Abuse, Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 17(34). 
• Marchand, K., Turuba, R., Katan, C., Fogarty, O., Fairbank, J., Tallon, C., Mathias, S., & Barbic S. (2023). “The system always undermined what I was trying to do as an individual”: Identifying opportunities to improve the delivery of opioid use services for youth from the perspective of service providers in four communities across British Columbia, Canada. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 18(1), 1. 
• Turuba, R., Katan, C., Marchand, K., Brasset, C., Ewert, A., Tallon, C., Fairbank, J., Mathias, S., & Barbic, S. (2024). Weaving community-based participatory research and co-design to improve opioid use treatments and services for youth, caregivers, and service providers. PLOS ONE, 19(4), e0297532. 

Overview 

Educating youth with evidence-based information about substance use is an important part of harm reduction. PreVenture is a prevention program for youth ages 12-18 that uses personality-focused interventions to promote mental health and reduce the risk of substance use. As a population level, school-based intervention, it has been shown to reduce or delay youth substance use in several studies across the globe. For more information about the program, visit the PreVenture Program website.

The PreVenture Pilot National Research Study was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of an online adaptation of the evidence-based in-person program. The research took place at multiple sites across Canada, including a Foundry-led site in British Columbia. Through this study, facilitators were trained in the PreVenture program methods and led workshops for youth. Youth provided feedback and answered surveys to measure the effectiveness of the program.

The national pilot was led by a group of researchers from across the country. The research leads for the BC site of the PreVenture Study were Drs. Steve Mathias (Co-Executive Director at Foundry and Clinical Assistant Professor at University of British Columbia) and Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia) and the program implementation was done in partnership with Foundry Virtual and school district partners from North Vancouver.

Funders 

The program delivery for this pilot was supported by a donation to the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation in Montreal, Quebec, and funds were distributed by the VentureLab team to support research activities.  

Study Outputs and Resources  

• Online PreVenture Feasibility Study (OPfS) website 

Overview  

Mental health and substance use are key health concerns for youth in British Columbia. Involving youth in research for these topics improves the development of interventions and solutions. However, youth may not want to engage in mental health and substance use research due to concerns about confidentiality, stigma and other barriers. Researchers may also perceive barriers in finding and working with youth researchers. 

For this project, we identified barriers for youth engagement in mental health and substance use research and recommended solutions for these issues. This was achieved by connecting to youth and researchers through small-group discussion and a World Café, using techniques to help facilitate conversation.  

This project was co-led by Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at University of British Columbia) and Mr. Dan Nixon (Engagement Specialist at Foundry).

Funders 

This study was funded by Michael Smith Health Research BC (previously known as the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research) through a Convening and Collaborating grant.

Study Outputs and Resources  

• Coming soon! 

Overview  

Youth are tragically affected by the ongoing toxic drug crisis in Canada, particularly due to opioids. Additional substances, including alcohol, cannabis, and other illicit drugs, can also factor into higher-risk substance use by youth in Canada. However, many service providers are trained within the context of adult substance use. Similarly, peer support is an important component of addressing substance use, but peer training has also traditionally focused on adults. Developing resources and services around the needs of youth is critical for tackling youth substance use issues. 

The Experience Project consisted of two qualitative studies conducted in British Columbia, one exploring how youth perceive and experience substance use services, and the other exploring the role of peer support in providing substance use services to youth. The Experience Project was part of a multi-phase project called Building capacity for early intervention: Increasing access to youth-centered, evidence-based substance use and addiction services in British Columbia and Ontario, which created two new training curricula, one for service providers working within an integrated youth services model and one for youth peer support workers, specifically designed for youth substance use.  

The Building Capacity for Early Intervention Project was led by Foundry and Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO), under the direction of Dr. Steve Mathias (C0-Executive Director at Foundry and Clinical Assistant Professor at University of British Columbia (UBC)), Dr. Skye Barbic (Head Scientist at Foundry and Associate Professor at UBC) and Dr. Jo Henderson (Executive Director of YWHO and Director of the McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)).  

The service provider curriculum development was led by YWHO and the youth peer support worker curriculum development was led by Foundry. The expertise of youth with lived/living experience of substance use, youth peer support workers and service providers who work with youth who use substances, along with the findings from the Experience Project, were used to inform the adaptation of the curricula specifically for British Columbia. Visit the Youth 4 Youth Advisory Council (The Experience Project) section for more information.  

Funders 

This project was made possible by support from Health Canada under the Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP). 

Study Outputs and Resources  

• Government of Canada announces $16.5 million to support harm reduction and people who use substances in British Columbia  
• BC and Federal governments sign $71.7 M funding agreement for innovative substance use disorder treatments  
• Hawke, L. D., Barbic, S. P., Voineskos, A., Szatmari, P., Cleverley, K., Hayes, E., Relihan, J., Daley, M., Courtney, D., Cheung, A., Darnay, K., & Henderson, J. L. (2020). Impacts of COVID-19 on youth mental health, substance use, and well-being: A rapid survey of clinical and community samples. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 65(10), 701-709. 
• Turuba, R., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Brockmann, V., Tallon, C., Irving, S., Mathias, S., Henderson, J., Marchand, K., & Barbic, S. (2022).  A qualitative study exploring how young people perceive and experience substance use services in British Columbia, Canada. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 17(43). 
• Turuba, R., Irving, S., Turnbull, H., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Brockmann, V., Tallon, C., Mathias, S., Henderson, J., & Barbic, S. (2022). Practical considerations for engaging youth with lived and/or living experience of substance use as youth advisors and co-researchers. Journal of Participatory Research Methods, 3(3, Youth-themed Special Issue). 
• ​Turuba, R., Toddington, C., Tymoschuk, M., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Brockmann, V., Tallon, C., Irving, S., Mathias, S., Henderson, J. L., & Barbic, S. (2023). “A peer support worker can really be there supporting the youth throughout the whole process”: A qualitative study exploring the role of peer support in providing substance use services to youth. Harm Reduction Journal, 20, 118.  
• Turuba, R., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Tallon, C., Marchand, K., & Barbic, S. (2022). A qualitative research study exploring how young people perceive and experience substance use services in British Columbia, Canada. Abstract presented as a tabletop presentation at the International Association for Youth Mental Health (IAYMH) Conference on Youth Mental Health, September 29-October 1, 2022, Copenhagen, Denmark.  
  • Video presentation: How young people perceive and experience substance use services in BC 
  • Table top presentation materials: How young people perceive and experience substance use services in BC 

Overview 

Through support from Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP), Foundry worked with youth with lived/living experience of substance use, youth peer support workers and service providers to develop training curricula specifically designed for youth substance use. These curricula will be used to educate youth peer support workers and service providers about the best options to support youth who use substances. 

The Youth 4 Youth Advisory Council was an integral part of The Experience Project’s co-design, providing insight into youth needs and supporting the development of the curricula. For more information on this project, check out The Experience Project section. 

Funders 

This project was made possible by support from Health Canada under the Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP). 

Study Outputs and Resources

• Government of Canada announces $16.5 million to support harm reduction and people who use substances in British Columbia  
• BC and Federal governments sign $71.7 M funding agreement for innovative substance use disorder treatments  
• Turuba, R., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Brockmann, V., Tallon, C., Irving, S., Mathias, S., Henderson, J., Marchand, K., & Barbic, S. (2022).  A qualitative study exploring how young people perceive and experience substance use services in British Columbia, Canada. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 17(43). 
• Turuba, R., Irving, S., Turnbull, H., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Brockmann, V., Tallon, C., Mathias, S., Henderson, J., & Barbic, S. (2022). Practical considerations for engaging youth with lived and/or living experience of substance use as youth advisors and co-researchers. Journal of Participatory Research Methods, 3(3, Youth-themed Special Issue). 
• Turuba, R., Toddington, C., Tymoschuk, M., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Brockmann, V., Tallon, C., Irving, S., Mathias, S., Henderson, J. L., & Barbic, S. (2023). “A peer support worker can really be there supporting the youth throughout the whole process”: A qualitative study exploring the role of peer support in providing substance use services to youth. Harm Reduction Journal, 20, 118.  
• Turuba, R., Amarasekera, A., Howard, A. M., Tallon, C., Marchand, K., & Barbic, S. (2022). A qualitative research study exploring how young people perceive and experience substance use services in British Columbia, Canada. Abstract presented as a tabletop presentation at the International Association for Youth Mental Health (IAYMH) Conference on Youth Mental Health, September 29-October 1, 2022, Copenhagen, Denmark.  
  • Video presentation: How young people perceive and experience substance use services in BC 
  • Table top presentation materials: How young people perceive and experience substance use services in BC.