# Child and Parent Resource Institute

Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI) is a provincially operated, regional resource centre located in London, Ontario, Canada, providing services for children with special needs, including self-development and mental health disorders. CPRI is serviced and run by, the province of Ontario.

## Controversy

A class action lawsuit was brought against the Province of Ontario on behalf of individuals formerly admitted as inpatients to CPRI in London, Ontario. The action was certified as a class proceeding on December 22, 2016. The lawsuit included children admitted to CPRI as inpatients between September 1, 1963, and July 1, 2011, and was alive as of 2014, but excluded any time for which an individual was an inpatient and resided in the Glenhurst or Pratten 1 units.
The lawsuit alleged that between 1963 and 2011, the inpatients at CPRI suffered various harms, including physical and sexual abuse, which are covered under the settlement. Of the settlement, CPRI states on its website, "The lawsuit alleged that between 1963 and 2011, the inpatients at CPRI suffered various harms, including injuries resulting from the wrongful acts of their peers, and that the Province owed a duty to supervise and failed to adequately ensure the safety of those individuals admitted. The Province denies these claims and a Court has not decided whether the Class or the Province is right. Instead, both sides have agreed to a settlement."
The Ontario government denied the allegations but agreed to settle out of court with the plaintiff at a last-minute mediation in March, just before a 12-week trial was set to begin. A Settlement Agreement was approved by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on July 22, 2021. A copy of the Settlement Agreement can be viewed here.

## About

CPRI states that it provides highly specialized (tertiary) diagnostic assessment, consultation, education, research, and short-term treatment services. It aims to provide trauma-informed and highly specialized services for children and youth of Ontario (age 0–18 years) who experience complex and long-standing combinations of mental health difficulties and/or developmental challenges where:
* These difficulties significantly impact functioning in multiple areas such as home, school, and community and;
* Appropriate community interventions have not produced the desired response.

## Services Provided by CPRI

| General Clinical Services | May include diagnostic clarification, medication review and community consultation or second opinion. |
| Attachment Consultation and Education Services (ACES) | For children/youth with an attachment disturbance or disorder. |
| Mood & Anxiety | Provides comprehensive diagnostic assessment and consultation for children/youth with complex symptoms that suggest a query of a mood and/or anxiety disorder. |
| Brake Shop | For children/youth with a diagnosed or suspected tic disorder, and/or disinhibition disorders (ADHD, OCD) who may or may not be experiencing tics. DUAL |
| Diagnosis Behaviour & Anxiety Clinic | For children and youth with an intellectual disability, as well as severe psychiatric concerns, behaviour problems, or emotional disorders. |
| Home Visiting Program for Infants (HVPI) | For children aged birth to 6 years who have or are at risk of having a developmental delay and who live in London-Middlesex, Oxford, Elgin, Huron, and Perth counties. Client needs are assessed through the Developmental Resource for Infants (DRI) Steering Committee. |
| Homeshare | Specialized family placement program for children/youth who have multiple disabilities. |
| Interdisciplinary Autism Services (IAS) | For children/youth with suspected or confirmed complex Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or whose symptoms are suggestive of ASD with additional complex concerns. |
| Selective Mutism | For children and youth who have restricted speech in one or more settings for at least 2 months. |
| Sexual Behaviours | For children/youth who display concerning sexualized behaviour which has a negative impact on their relationships at home, school and in the community. |
| Inpatient Services | CPRI's Inpatient teams collaborate with the child/youth, caregivers and community service providers in developing a comprehensive plan to manage continuing needs at the community level of service. Unit demographics and population may change based on referral patterns, to best meet the needs of dual diagnosis and/or mental health populations. CPRI's units provide assessment, consultation and short-term treatment based on the individualized clinical needs and identified goals of children/youth with complex multiple needs. Age ranges for each unit are a general guideline: Pratten 2 South – males/females ages 6–18 Unit 4 – males ages 13 – 18 Unit 5 – males/females ages 6 – 12 Unit 6 – males/females ages 6 – 13 with a developmental disability Thameswood – males/females ages 13 – 18 with a developmental disability Pratten – 10 bed short-term (average length of stay from a few days to two weeks) residential unit for males/females ages 0 – 18 with a variety of complex medical (including technologically dependent clients) and developmental needs. Services include palliative care and "step down" services from acute hospital admissions. This space is like a hospital ward with specialized medical equipment, access to oxygen, etc. |
| Urgent Response Intervention | Short term, urgent admissions of clients in the CPRI catchment area. |