Government monitoring of the mental health of children in Canada: five surveys (part I).
OBJECTIVE
Canadian governments spend billions of dollars yearly on programmatic interventions, intended to improve the mental health of children, without recommended monitoring of children's mental health. The Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry monitored governments' progress in producing reports.


METHODS
Five evolving surveys were done during 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008. Initially, progress was monitored then later surveys examined challenges that inhibited monitoring, the need for a national strategy, an indicator framework and an agency to do the monitoring and the role of non-government organizations. The 2008 survey requested the three most important indicators governments desired, and created clarity in the definition of monitoring reports in contents, criteria, qualities of indicators and potential names. For comparison purposes, a Partnership Model to survey populations was evaluated.


RESULTS
Over five surveys, 13 of 14 governments affirmed the desire for monitoring and 64 publications were reviewed and categorized. No reports met criteria for 'monitoring reports'. The Partnership Model was used successfully in 11 Provincial-Territorial governments.


CONCLUSIONS
It was reassuring that governments supported monitoring and were producing reports. The Partnership Model may offer a suitable alternative for governments. Results of 2006 and 2008, discussion, conclusions and references are in Part II.
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Wade
W
Junek