Wellstream for Schools

Responsive to current needs and systems opportunities, our team at Wellstream: The Canadian Centre for Innovation in Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use is leading the pan-Canadian Transforming Substance Use Harm Prevention in Schools initiative.

This initiative leverages our interdisciplinary and intersectoral team’s extensive expertise in child and youth mental health and substance use, intervention design and implementation, and education systems change.

It is rooted in a novel partnership that spans the education and health sectors, youth voice organizations, and various levels of government.

The development of school-based substance use standards is a partnership between Wellstream for Schools, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) and the Canadian Association of School System Administrators (CASSA). The process of standards development is supported by the CSA Group and informed by the collective expertise of K-12 education, allied health professionals, scholars and youth across the country.

Transforming Substance Use Harm Prevention in Schools initiative

Phase 1 Highlights

Transforming Substance Use Harm Prevention in Canadian Schools: An Examination of School Administrators’ Experiences and Perspectives

This report presents findings from a recent survey of Canadian kindergarten to 12th grade school administrators conducted as part of Wellstream’s Transforming Substance Use Harm Prevention in Schools initiative. The survey aimed to characterize current practices and identify needs related to substance use education and intervention in schools.

Read the Report

Read the Executive Summary (English) (French)

In The News

UBC News

Feb 25, 2025 – Mornings with Simi

Principals report an increase in student substance use, often in complex situations, with limited access to external support services (article).

Feb 26, 2025 – Global News

Results from our national survey of school administrators highlights the strain that student substance use puts on educators and school resources (video).

Feb 27, 2025 – CBC News

One in five survey respondents report that they are spending six hours a week dealing with student substance use (article).

Feb 26, 2025 – Mornings with Simi

Substance use is taking up an increasing amount of school administrators’ time (podcast).