A youth support service that aims to divert children and teenagers from a life of crime is boasting a high success rate.
The Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS), which runs out of the VISY Cares Hub in Sunshine, is an early intervention program for people aged 10 to 17 who are known to police and at risk of entering the youth justice system.
YSAS youth workers, such as Shane, who asked that his surname not be revealed, work closely with the youths, helping them to develop life goals and access the services that aid in achieving them.
“We look at whether they’re engaged in education, family conflict, the nature of the offending, potential substance misuse, and link them in with community networks, whether it be for treatment options, courses, alternative education or local sports clubs,” Shane said. “You focus on the strengths, talents and interests of the young person.
“We’ve got an 89 per cent success rate; that is, 89 per cent of the people referred to us by police cease to have contact with any police after our case period.”
Dexter (not his real name) was referred to the service three months ago after he was caught using marijuana.
The 16-year-old has since undergone detox; he does home schooling and has enrolled for a certificate II and III in warehousing and construction, which will start later this month. “It’s been a really good experience for me,” Dexter said.
