Mental Health Emergency Services
We help children and youth up to age 16 who need support during a mental health crisis.
BC Children's Hospital has several emergency services to support children and youth during a mental health crisis.
These include:
- Emergency Department mental health crisis visits
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergency (CAPE) Unit
- LINK service
Emergency Department mental health crisis visits
When a child or youth visits our Emergency Department with mental health symptoms, BC Children’s Hospital providers will assess their current condition to help support them and manage the crisis.
Following an emergency department assessment, we will determine whether a child or youth needs to stay in the hospital for care or if they are safe to be discharged and can leave the hospital.
If a child or youth is having a medical emergency, visit your nearest emergency department for care or call 9-1-1 for emergency services.
Find out more about visiting BC Children’s Hospital’s Emergency Department.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergency (CAPE) Unit
The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergency (CAPE) Unit provides short-term psychiatric services for children and youth experiencing a mental health crisis.
We admit children and youth either voluntarily, or involuntarily under the BC Mental Health Act.
The care team focuses on stabilization, starting treatment, and building connections to community resources to support a child or youth on discharge. CAPE also provides education to children and families, and guides safety planning.
Referral information
BC Children’s Hospital Emergency Department and other emergency departments across BC and Yukon can refer children and youth to CAPE. See the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergency referral page for more information.
Contact us
CAPE Unit
2nd Floor, Healthy Minds Building
Entrance 87, 4555 Heather Street
BC Children’s Hospital
Vancouver, BC
LINK service
LINK is a telephone follow-up service for children and youth who were discharged from BC Children's Hospital Emergency Department with mental health concerns. The LINK service supports a child or youth's connection to mental health follow-up services in the community.
The LINK service provides:
- Connection to community services
- Time-limited telephone bridging services while waiting for community services
- Liaison with community services to support new and existing referrals for mental health support
Referral information
This service is only available for children and youth who were seen and directly referred from the BC Children’s Hospital Emergency Department.
The children or youth and/or their parent or caregiver will receive a phone call from the LINK nurse clinician within three business days of their emergency department visit. The LINK clinician will review a child or youth’s mental health care needs, and the supports available to them.
Services may include a phone call to community resources, safety planning, and information on mental health services available in your community.
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Indigenous Health
We advocate for and provide support to Indigenous patients and families who are visiting the hospital.