4.8 Provide youth (and their family members/caregivers, if appropriate) with up-to-date contact information for developmentally appropriate self-care management resources, community supports, and community mental health resources.

Ensure the young person (and family members/caregivers, where appropriate) is aware of community mental health services available to them, the purposes they serve, and how they can be accessed (e.g., walk-in services, phone lines). This should be included in the individualized transition plan (see core Component 4.5). Note that the appropriate mental health and community supports will depend upon the unique needs of the individual youth as well as the specific resources available in their geographic area.

Due to the complex and varying biopsychosocial issues, shifting symptom patterns and presentations, and comorbid diagnoses seen in youth populations, transition pathways may look different from person to person (McGorry et al., 2014). Not every young person will need to transition to adult-oriented mental health services nor require a high intensity transition intervention. For example, alternative transition pathways could include access to youth-oriented integrated primary mental health care, establishing “soft entry” by minimizing stigma and other barriers to accessing services, and organizing digital support where possible (McGorry et al., 2022).Providing youth with access to developmentally appropriate community and health services will ensure they have resources available if they do not transition to adult mental health services, withdraw from adult mental health services, or desire only episodic contact with adult mental health services.