Deadline: 28-Feb-21
Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC), the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) and the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) are partnering to offer a grant of $50,000 to advance understanding of:
- The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of families and caregivers who have children and youth with special needs in British Columbia; and
- The identification of existing evidence-based and promising approaches to mitigating these impacts.
All Canadians have been affected in some degree by anxiety, depression and social isolation during this global crisis, but Canadians with more acute needs struggle even more because they can’t engage mental health services with the same frequency.
Children, youth and families are a particularly affected group, especially if families and caregivers look after children and youth with special needs who are experiencing (or at risk of) developmental delay or disability, and who require various supports to optimize their development, functional abilities and quality of life.
The Research Challenge
Understanding and mitigating the mental health impact of COVID-19 on British Columbia’s families and caregivers with children and youth with special needs.
Key Research Areas
- Advancing our understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of families and caregivers who have children and youth with special needs in British Columbia
- Identifying evidence-based supports, services, programs, interventions, and/or promising and innovative practices that currently exist to mitigate the mental health impacts identified through #1 above. It will be important that the research not be limited to Canadian sources as valuable insights can be gathered from other jurisdictions with similar demographics, such as Great Britain, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland.
Funding Information
- The grant is valued at up to $50,000, and term of the grant is 12 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible for the grant, you must be affiliated with an accredited BC-based academic institution, health authority or community organization. Your research team must include two principal investigators who are British Columbia residents and who are supported by a team.
- The co-principal investigators must be:
- A researcher/academic5 from an accredited British Columbia-based academic institution, health authority or community organization AND
- A leader or member of a British Columbia-based care or service provider with direct experience in the proposed research and interest in its intended outcomes.
- You can also choose to involve other health care providers, community organizations, additional researchers and possibly entrepreneurs to enhance the depth and scope of your team and support your proposed activities. The team must include expert knowledge and experience with the following to be eligible:
- Provision of mental health services for families and caregivers of children and youth with special needs
- Access to an academic database
For more information, visit https://www.mhrc.ca/covid-impact-grant-bc