Funding will support Kids Help Phone in continuing to provide 24/7 mental health support for young Canadians.
Young people are facing new and complex challenges. And that can have a real affect on their mental health. Our government is committed to breaking down the barriers that prevent young people from accessing mental health services, and to ensure young Canadians can find support, guidance and hope.
Today, the Honourable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced $7.5 million in funding for Kids Help Phone to continue its work providing mental health counselling and crisis support.
This funding will allow Kids Help Phone to continue to provide 24/7 access to bilingual mental health supports via voice and text, online counselling and crisis support for youth across Canada. It will help adapt and mobilize its supports and services for underserved communities. Further, it will also bolster better data collection and analysis through the implementation of new data tools to allow Kids Help Phone to extend the reach of its service.
Additionally, the funding will support Kids Help Phone employees and volunteers by providing ongoing professional development and training opportunities, as well as help develop and maintain a support and self-care program for all staff and service volunteers.
Kids Help Phone is available 24/7 across Canada. Kids, teens, and young people can call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868 no matter the time of day or where they are located. Anyone in Canada can call 9-8-8 for crisis and mental health support anytime they need someone help or someone to talk to.
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"The mental health challenges young people are facing have increased in recent years. Whether its challenges at home, online or at school, we are committed to ensure support is available to our kids when they need it. Kids Help Phone is a trusted partner in this effort. I am so grateful for the work they do and the resources they provide for young people across our country."
The Honourable Ya'ara Saks
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
"Kids Help Phone has been dedicated to supporting the mental health and well-being of young people across Canada for over 35 years. We are trusted by and accessible to young people in every community, from coast to coast to coast - 24/7. Since 2020, young people have reached out to KHP more than 21 million times across all services. This funding empowers us to continue evolving our services, ensuring that young people can access the support they need- however, whenever, and wherever they are. We are deeply grateful to the Government of Canada for their commitment to youth mental health and for standing alongside us as we work to meet the complex needs of young people in Canada."
Jenny Yuen
Group Head & EVP, People, Culture & Partnerships - Kids Help Phone
Quick Facts
- Kids Help Phone is Canada's only 24/7 e-mental health service offering free, confidential support to young people in English and French, and 100 other languages.
- Budget 2024 allocated $7.5 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to the Public Health Agency of Canada to support Kids Help Phone in its work providing mental health, counselling, and crisis support to young people.
- Budget 2024 announced $500M over five years for a new Youth Mental Health Fund to help community health organizations expand the services they provide to young people and facilitate referrals to broader networks of mental health supports when needed.
- On November 30, 2023, the Government of Canada launched a new national three-digit number for Suicide Prevention Support. Kids Help Phone is a 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline network partner. In many parts of the country, people under 18 who call 9-8-8 have the option to be connected to a youth-specific service for suicide prevention support, including Kids Help Phone.
- If you are thinking about suicide or worried that someone you know may be thinking about suicide, you can call or text 9-8-8 for support in English or French, 24/7/365.
