A pilot program connecting students in the Seine River School Division (SRSD) to mental health services has been going well.
Colin Campbell says the program, called Early Response System (ERS) and run by Shared Health, began in the new year and has already had 35 students between grades seven and 12 use it.
"On the one hand, obviously it's hard to say we have 35 students that need the help. On the other side of that coin though, it's nice to know that we have a pilot program here that's able to speed up the services for 35 students that need it," he says.
The superintendent notes there's likely more students that need support, but partnerships between health and education work well to meet those needs.
For areas outside of Winnipeg, he says a service like this is particularly important.
"The services in rural Manitoba are very thin. We need programs like this to make sure our students in rural Manitoba are looked after, not just physically, but mentally as well," Campbell says.
While it's difficult to say just how much faster students are getting access to mental health services, he is confident the process has been sped up.
"Without this program, they wouldn't be able to receive these services as quickly as they are now," he says.
Campbell notes that the response from families, students, and staff to the program has also been encouraging.
"We feel very fortunate we're able to be part of a pilot like this," he says. "I think we've gotten off to a great start here."
The hope is to see the one-year pilot program become a permanent part of the division.
"If the results continue to be positive, I think it makes the decision easy to continue," Campbell says.