The Embedded Youth Outreach Program has received a gold award in the police-led category of the 2023 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards (ACVPAs).
The ACVPAs recognise best practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crime in Australia and play a vital role in highlighting effective community-based initiatives to prevent crime and violence before it occurs.
Led by Victoria Police, and delivered with the Youth Support and Advocacy Service, the Embedded Youth Outreach Program is an evidence-based frontline partnership where police members and youth workers collaborate to deliver after-hours services when young people are most likely to be at risk of offending or victimisation.
Earlier in the year the program was rolled out in Brimbank and Melton as concerns for youth crime continued to rise. The program has been successful across other parts of Melbourne’s west for almost five years, including Wyndham, Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong.
Program director Commander Mark Galliott said through partnering with youth workers and acknowledging their skills and expertise, the program has been successful in reducing youth offending.
“This opportunity for co-delivery of services, youth engagement and service linkage would not be available with police members responding alone,” he said.
By engaging with a young person, assessing their needs and referring them to youth-specific supports, the program aims to reduce the risk of long-term involvement in the criminal justice system.
An independent evaluation demonstrated that young people in crisis are connected to services immediately, and youth offending and victimisation are reduced. The benefits of the program outweigh the costs and provide significant long-term government savings.
Australian Institute of Criminology deputy director Dr Rick Brown said the program has identified at-risk youth and developed a framework which targets their needs and interrupts the offending pathway.
Early engagement and support referrals are becoming increasingly effective in the youth crime and violence prevention space,” he said
