From Innovative Research to Innovative Solutions: Bringing Diversity in Mental Health from the Margins to the Core
The Taking Culture Seriously in Community Mental Health Community University Research Alliance (CURA) partnership and the Wellesley Institute (http://wellesleyinstitute.com) convened an action-oriented roundtable in order to address a complicated dilemma within Ontario’s mental health system. Multiple stakeholders were invited to exchange ideas and collectively identify strategies about two key concepts:
a) How do we move culturally responsive services from the periphery to the core of our mental health
system?
b) How do we ensure that innovative solutions are tried and tested in practice?
The roundtable was a unique opportunity in that it brought together many funders and policy makers, along
with representatives of agencies, researchers and community members. In order to share common ground
on the terms innovative research, innovative practice and innovative solutions, a working definition of social
innovation was provided:
Social innovation is about transforming existing functions and structures. In many ways, social
innovation is transformative because it demands new thinking and new forms of action. Frances
Westley has noted that “social innovation is an initiative, product, or process that profoundly changes
the basic routines, resource and authority flows or beliefs of any social system.”
To read a brief summary report on this roundtable, please see Roundtable Report.
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