Apr 16, 2025 | Mental Health, Faces of HDGH
Working in children’s mental health, I’ve seen firsthand how urgently families need care that’s responsive, accessible, and compassionate. That’s why I’m incredibly proud to share what our team at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare’s Regional Children’s Centre (RCC) has been building. It’s called the Assertive Community Treatment Team for Children (ACT-C) — the first program of its kind in Canada — and it’s transforming how we deliver mental health care to children as young as six by meeting them where they are: in their homes and communities. This bold new approach is already making a meaningful difference, right here in Windsor-Essex.
Modeled after the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Teams used to support adults, ACT-C is specifically tailored to the needs of children, along with their families to meet the complex needs of young people struggling with severe mental health challenges — right where they live.
The team collaborates with community partners like the Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Society (WECAS) to provide families with a well-rounded network of support. Designed for flexibility, the ACT-C approach meets families where they are—at home and in the community—while reducing the need for emergency services such as hospitals, police, or crisis units. Despite being community-based, the program offers similar level of intensive care as live-in or Day treatment settings, including individual and family counselling, in-home behaviour management coaching, recreational programming, and skill-building activities.
Here are just a few of the ways ACT-C is making a positive impact:
Since launching, ACT-C has supported 62 families. Early results show improved outcomes for children and families participating in the program, as well as agency-wide benefits, including shorter waitlists for other intensive services like day treatment and better access to counseling and therapy.
The most powerful evidence? The families we serve. Krystle and Adam, parents of two children in the program, shared their experience:
“The Assertive Community Treatment Team for Children has impacted our family in a wonderfully, positive way. Jen has been very thorough with the education she has given to us, and has given us a great follow through plan. It has been very helpful to our family that Jen has come into our home to be hands on teaching us and the children to build a morning routine through modeling and visual charts. She has also given us resources to the community partners so Adam and I can continue positively in our journey. The collaboration between the team and our family has been great and very professional. Since participating in the program, the boys have been better behaved, not as destructive. They are willing to participate in things we are asking them, they have a sense of purpose again.”
ACT-C is paving the way for improving how we support children’s mental health care that could inspire systems across the country — and beyond. I’m honoured to have been invited to speak about our work at an upcoming European conference in Denmark, where we’ll showcase ACT-C and the work our team and community partners are doing to transform children’s mental health.
Together, we’re not just treating mental illness — we’re transforming how and where we deliver care for children and families. And this is only the beginning.
DJ MacNeil, director, Regional Children’s Centre, has a wealth of experience from his extensive career in mental health services. With a background that spans outpatient, inpatient, community, correctional and emergency department settings, DJ has dedicated his professional life to improving mental health care for children and families.
DJ holds a master's degree in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, reflecting his deep interest in these areas. He enjoys learning and working on initiatives related to quality and health system improvement. DJ also volunteers on the Quality, Utilization & Risk board for the WECHC.
Outside of his professional life, DJ spends a lot of time with his wife and three kids. He is a true philomath and voracious reader, always eager to expand his knowledge and understanding.