The province’s Child and Youth Advocate is asking that the regional health authorities, police, and other government departments and agencies decide whether specialized Mobile Mental Health Crisis teams in place in the province are meant to deal with children.

It’s one of the recommendations made by Jackie Lake Kavanagh in her most recent investigative report, “Handle With Care.”

She launched her investigation after a 7-year-old child was handcuffed after suffering a severe behavioural or mental health episode in a crisis shelter. Shelter staff, along with the child’s mother, determined that the child needed to be taken to hospital but paramedics called police, who called the Mental Health Crisis Team when the child’s behaviour escalated.

The child was eventually handcuffed for a period of time by police until she was placed in an ambulance to be taken to hospital.

Lake Kavanagh says a decision needs to be made as to whether or not Mental Health Crisis Teams are meant to deal with children.

“If they are, equip them to do the work as best as possible,” says Lake Kavanagh “if there’s another model for younger children… let’s look at that, and see what that needs to look like.”