Overview

The Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI) has six inpatient units for children and youth. Five units offer services for children and youth age 6 up to age 18 experiencing complex and often co-occurring combinations of developmental and mental health challenges. This means your child’s issues are serious enough that they are causing problems at home, school or in the community. We treat children and youth whose needs cannot be addressed in their own community.

CPRI also operates one unit for medically fragile or technology dependent children from birth up to age 18. These clients require significant medical care and support.

What inpatient services does

We provide short-term, highly-specialized and individualized consultations, assessments and treatments for children and families. Our treatment is tailored to you and your child’s specific needs and goals.

We are an interdisciplinary service, so our team is made up of many different professionals working together.

If your child is admitted, we will work with you and your child to design a treatment plan to accomplish their goals. You will be part of the planning and learning process all the way through your child’s treatment. Our first step is for a CPRI staff member to meet with your family, in person or virtually, to do an assessment. We will talk with you about your child and family’s needs and goals and the risks and benefits of treatment.

How long your child stays at CPRI is based on their needs. During the school year, children participating in intensive services can attend school at Madeline Hardy School, part of the Thames Valley District School Board or St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School, part of the London District Catholic School Board.

Find out more on our kids page and see photos

How to access inpatient services

Referrals for Inpatient services should be submitted through your county’s Single Point of Access Agency. Pratten 1 accepts outpatient referrals directly from parents or community service providers. You will be contacted by our intake department to confirm your information.

All referral forms must be signed by the child or youth’s doctor.

Learn more about the referral process and access referral forms.

Inpatient units and their services

There are six inpatient units located at CPRI in London. The general demographic of each unit is listed below. We respect the unique and diverse backgrounds of all clients who come to CPRI.

Unit 6

Eligibility

The unit 6 interdisciplinary team serves children and youth between ages 7 to 13 with diagnosed or suspected Intellectual Disability and significant behavioural or mental health concerns. Many of these children and youth also have genetic disorders, seizure disorders, endocrine problems, a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and/or a history of trauma or family disruption. Other diagnoses may also present comorbidly with the above, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, behavioural disorders or psychotic disorders.

Children and youth are referred to the unit 6 team because of significant behavioural and/or mental health concerns. Community services, such as doctors, respite, school, behaviour services and mental health services are often already involved and may be struggling with how to best serve the child. The family and community need an interdisciplinary and comprehensive assessment to develop a better understanding of the child and to form an integrated plan to best support the child or youth in their home community.

Children and youth referred to unit 6 often:

  • display aggressive, destructive, self-injurious or other challenging behaviours
  • appear sad, angry, or anxious
  • have poor social and problem-solving skills
  • have difficulty with learning and communication
  • have sensory processing and sleep problems
  • display inadequate or problematic response to medication

Goals

Goals often include diagnostic clarification, medication review, functional assessment, and assessment and integration of sensory, motor, communication and learning needs into a positive behaviour support plan. Assessment recommendations, and behavioural strategies are shared with families and community partners to support the child or youth.

Thameswood

Eligibility

The Thameswood interdisciplinary team serves children and youth with diagnosed or suspected Intellectual Disability and significant behavioural or mental health concerns. Many clients also have genetic disorders and/or a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (autism). Other diagnoses may include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), behavioural disorders or psychotic disorders.

Children and youth are referred to the Thameswood interdisciplinary team because of significant behavioural and/or mental health concerns. Community services, such as doctors, respite, school, behaviour services and mental health services are already involved and often struggling with how to meet the clients needs. The family and community need an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach to bring together existing information and develop an integrated plan.

Children and youth referred to Thameswood often:

  • display aggressive, destructive, self-injurious or other challenging behaviours
  • appear sad, angry or anxious
  • appear rude, defiant or unmotivated
  • have difficulty with learning and communication
  • display inadequate or problematic response to medication

Goals

Goals often include diagnostic clarification, medication review, functional assessment, and assessment and integration of sensory, motor, communication and learning needs. Assessment recommendations, and behavioural strategies are shared with families and community partners to support the child/youth.

Unit 5

Eligibility

The Unit 5 residential program serves children and youth aged 6 to 13 who have complex mental health and/or learning difficulties.

Families and community partners seeking services from our team are typically interested in obtaining an interdisciplinary approach to assessment and suggestions for treatment. We are commonly asked to provide a comprehensive diagnostic assessment or a review of medications and for strategies to support the child or youth in home and school settings.

Goals

Residential services with the unit 5 team at CPRI are short-term (6 to 12 weeks) and assessment focused in nature. We value our partnerships with local services and are committed to ensuring continuity of care. We require children and youth coming to unit 5 have a community physician and case manager involved. This is important so we can continue to work with community services providers to transfer individualized plans of care, recommendations from assessments and other strategies into ongoing support from the community when the child or youth is discharged.

Unit 4

Eligibility

The unit 4 residential program is typically for teen boys with complex mental health and learning needs that cannot be addressed in their community. These youth typically have complex psychotropic medication histories and guardians typically want a full review of medication options with a psychiatrist.

These youth are typically referred to Unit 4 through their local single point access agencies, the service provider in their community that triages services for children, youth and families. The youth, guardians and community case manager help define the services requested – typically in the form of specific questions about functioning, diagnosis and etiology.

Goals

These youth typically are involved with various service providers within their communities. A community physician must be involved and sign the referral form. Typical referral requests include diagnostic and medication review, multidisciplinary assessment of their function and treatment recommendations and stabilization. We often receive questions about a youth’s capacity to self-regulate behaviour and emotions and about assessing daily living skills.

Pratten 2 South

Eligibility

The Pratten 2 South intensive services team is an interdisciplinary team that provides service to female children and youth between the ages of 8 and up to 18 years of age who present with severely impairing, complex mental health needs (emotional, behavioural, and learning needs) and complex family dynamics.

Children and youth who are referred to pratten 2 South typically struggle with:

  • behavioural issues such as aggression, including harm to self and others
  • emotional difficulties, including anxiety and mood disorders and fluctuating mood states
  • interpersonal challenges including peer-related difficulties and difficulties within the parent-child relationship
  • co-occurring school challenges that have resulted in exclusion from community school or utilization of specialized educational service
  • emerging psychosis, although this is rare

Goals

Children and youth are referred to Pratten 2 South by families and community partners seeking direct observational interdisciplinary assessment, consultation and recommendations regarding their ongoing treatment needs. They are typically referred for the purpose of comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and medication review as well as consultation regarding psychosocial treatment needs and strategies for supporting the child or youth in their home, school, and community.

The Pratten 2 South team works in partnership with each child’s or youth’s community service providers (for example, doctors, school teams, mental health service providers, and respite workers) to complete assessments and to transition the client’s care back to the community providers.

Pratten 1

Eligibility

The Pratten 1 team serves children and youth from birth up to age 18 with complex developmental and medical (including technological dependence) needs. The children and youth on this unit may present with cerebral palsy, developmental delays (in fine motor, gross motor, speech, vision, and/or communication), genetic syndromes, chronic respiratory conditions, neurological disorders and associated difficulties (such as feeding and seizures), sleep disorders, and other significant physical or health related issues.

Goals

We offer day treatment or overnight admissions. During an this time, we will monitor and assess your child. We will provide medical treatment such as:

  • oxygen therapy
  • oral/tube feeding
  • seizure monitoring/management

We will also help your child reach developmental goals such as improving their fine/gross motor and communication skills. While in the program, your child won’t go to school, but they will participate in our Child Life Program, which focuses on the developmental and psychosocial needs of your child.