Youth support services

Our department invests approximately $19.4 million in youth support services across the state. Youth at Risk and Addressing Volatile Substance Misuse services have been refocused into a single youth support approach to ensure they more responsively meet the needs of young people, particularly those who are most vulnerable.

Youth Support services are targeted specifically at young people aged 10 to 25 years of age who are at risk of:

• disconnection from their family/community/support networks
• disengagement from school, training and/or employment
• harm, including self-harm
• homelessness or who are homeless.

Youth support services focus on 4 key results, which are to help young people:

• connect to positive family support
• get a job or engage in training or education
• lead a healthy and violence-free life
• have a safe, stable place to live.

Youth support service types

Youth support funded providers deliver up to 3 service types: access services, support services and integrated response.

• Access services provide information, advice and referral to services the young person needs (e.g. drug or alcohol, mental health, housing, legal, education, and domestic and family violence services).
• Support services provide case management and case coordination, one-on-one support and assistance to young people who need additional or specialised help (e.g. working with them to identify goals and strategies for re-engaging with their family and school, entering the workforce, or developing coping mechanisims or parenting skills).
• Integrated response services provide intensive and coordinated assistance for young people with particularly complex needs (e.g. leading/playing a key role in case panels with the young person, their family and service providers in areas such as mental health, housing or drug and alcohol abuse).

This investment and service delivery approach looks first at the support needs of the young person and tailors service responses to these needs. Service responses then bring together the required support in an integrated and coordinated way. This approach also works to avoid duplication and gaps across programs and systems and enables services to be delivered in a more connected way across government.

Support for service providers

Direct assistance has been provided to youth support service providers by:

• developing a shared client information system - YSCIS - Youth Support Client Information System
• providing a common assessment tool and a practice guide outlining the new service delivery expectations (see document downloads on this page)
• delivering training sessions on the common assessment tool, YSCIS system and best practice in supporting vulnerable young people.

Find a youth support service

We have a searchable list of youth support services on the Queensland Government Youth website. Young people aged 12 to 18 can find support by searching by suburb or postcode, or distance from their home. Find a youth support service.

More information

For further information about the changes to youth services, please contact your closest regional service centre.