Policy Brief Summary
Policy Brief Summary · 2022
Investing Upstream: Placing Infant, Child, & Youth Mental Health Promotion at the Forefront
Atlantic Summer Institute · A plain-language summary for policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders
We are investing at the wrong end of the river
Atlantic Canada spends the vast majority of its health resources responding to mental health crises after they develop — in emergency rooms, hospitals, and treatment systems. Very little investment goes toward the social, economic, and community conditions that shape mental health in the first place.
For infants, children, and youth, this gap is especially consequential. The foundations of lifelong mental health are laid early — and the conditions that support or undermine them are shaped by policy decisions made far outside the health sector.
ASI's Policy Brief makes a clear case: mental health is not just a clinical issue — it is a policy issue
The determinants of mental health include income and poverty, housing security, early childhood education, food access, community belonging, and the quality of relationships and environments children grow up in.
“These ideas are not new.” This policy brief includes examples of communities, provincial departments, and non-profits engaging in important work supporting child and youth mental health promotion. This work needs to be supported and invested in.
— Investing Upstream Policy Brief, ASI 2022
The framework
The Brief calls for transformative change on four broad priorities — working together as a comprehensive approach to promote child and youth mental health across Atlantic Canada:
Key recommendations — directed at Atlantic governments
01
Adopt a Mental Health in All Policies Framework
Atlantic provincial governments recognize that all policies affect the mental health of children and youth, and coordinate efforts to support upstream investments guided by a Mental Health in All Policies Framework.
02
Set an Atlantic Regional Direction
Build on existing Atlantic linkages — including the Council of Atlantic Premiers — to establish a shared regional direction for Mental Health in All Policies across all four provinces.
03
Strengthen Indigenous Collaboration
Develop respectful relationships with Indigenous Peoples — prioritizing co-design of policies, resourcing Indigenous-led initiatives, and drawing on Indigenous knowledge for policy development across Atlantic Canada.
04
Support a Regional Multistakeholder Platform
Facilitate alignment of provincial and local child and youth mental health efforts through a regional platform — bringing together communities, Indigenous organizations, governments, academia, and the private sector.
05
Invest in Community-Based Organizations
Recognize and resource community-based organizations as a central focal point for upstream investment in child and youth mental health — they are already doing this work and need sustained support.
06
Align Funding with a Sustainable Model
Review investment and funding frameworks to align with a Sustainable and Integrated Funding Model — multisectoral contributions, single community applications, and multiyear funding focused on promotion and prevention.
07
Build Capacity Across Sectors
Invest in professional development focused on social determinants of mental health, policy development, knowledge mobilization, and cross-sector collaboration — so all sectors can act on mental health.
08
Ensure Equitable Investment
Work with diverse groups and communities to ensure equitable investment in child and youth mental health promotion — addressing inequities at their roots, not just their symptoms.
09
Apply a Mental Health Lens Everywhere
All stakeholders in Atlantic Canada — organizations, municipalities, and governments alike — apply a Mental Health in All Policies lens to the development and implementation of their policies.
Read the full brief
The complete Investing Upstream policy brief — including evidence, analysis, and full recommendations — is available free here. 2026 Policy Forum: August 18–20, 2026 · UPEI, Charlottetown, PEI · #ASI2026
