BYS model of service delivery is based on the practice principles and approach outlined in the BYS Practice Framework document.
BYS is committed to the provision of services to young people that is based on a sound understanding of young people’s needs and experiences. To this end, BYS encourages practice that is reflective and dynamic and that aims to respond to the changing needs of young people as they emerge.
BYS acknowledges that young people who approach the service have differing needs and therefore the model of service delivery is both flexible and multifaceted in order to accommodate the diverse needs to young people requesting assistance.
Based on unequivocal support from the literature BYS offers a holistic continuum of support to young people and young families, based on building a relationship with the young person, assessing their type and level of need and supporting them to have these needs met.
There are two aspects to the BYS model of service delivery – levels of engagement and the spectrum of interventions – which combine to create the BYS approach to youth work practice.
LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT
In recognition of the diverse and complex needs of young people, BYS approaches work with young people on three levels. Movement between these levels is not a linear process and young people may move in and out of different levels of service delivery depending on their needs and circumstances.
LEVEL ONE: INITIAL ACCESS
Level one represents a young person’s initial contact with the service. Young people may make initial contact with the service through drop-in, outreach, project work, phone contact or re-accessing after a period of absence.
Where possible, first contact with young people attempts to create a sense of connection with the service and begins the process of young people feeling a sense of belonging. The importance of creating a safe space where young people feel welcome is acknowledged.
During this level workers attempt to:
- Build a relationship with the young person
- Introduce young people to the service, ensuring that young people are made aware of the services that BYS is able to provide and the limitations in service delivery
- Begin to develop an understanding of the needs of the young person and their immediate situation
- Provide introductory interventions and services
- Referral to other BYS workers / services; referral to other agencies.
LEVEL TWO: SERVICE PROVISION
Level two represents engagement with a young person around a particular need, such as housing, health, etc. Included here is ongoing assessment with a young person about their needs and the most appropriate responses for them. BYS is committed to developing a plan of action with each young person that may involve a number of workers and services both internally to BYS and externally. Level two includes ongoing follow up for young people who have received BYS services.
LEVEL THREE: PLANNED SUPPORT
Level three involves a young person entering into an ongoing relationship with a key worker. The focus here is on the development of a case plan including ongoing assessment and goal setting over a longer period of time. This level may involve a multi-dimensional approach where other workers provide services (as per level two) and other organisations may also be involved.
SPECTRUM OF INTERVENTIONS
Young people are just like any person – complex; with many and varied needs and components in their lives. To this end, BYS provides a wide range of services for young people including the following:
DROP-IN
BYS provides a drop-in program every day from 9 – 12 pm and then 1 – 4pm (except Thursday morning). Drop-in is an initial point of contact, which can meet young peoples basic and immediate needs and also be the link into more intensive and planned support work and/or intervention. Basic needs include food, storage, showers, laundry, computers, phone, mail collection and more.
DROP-IN OUTREACH
Literature and the BYS experience both strongly support “placing services where young people are at” as a key strategy to maximise their uptake of service. To this end BYS is strongly supportive of other services outreaching to Drop-in and currently we have many services visiting to add to the range of services available to young people at BYS.
These are all formalised agreements via Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) and include currently Centrelink, Homeless Health Outreach Team (HHOT), a private Psychologist, with QPILCH Legal Clinic and SPER currently being finalised.
PUBLIC SPACE OUTREACH
Outreach workers visit public places in the inner city area that are frequented by homeless young people. They provide information about available services, access to emergency accommodation, food and other essentials, as well as follow-up support to address housing, drug use, health, income support and any other issues affecting young people on the streets.
ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY EVENTS
BYS offers a range of recreational and diversionary activities on-goingly which vary dependent on consultation with young people and access to resources. This includes a strong emphasis on physical activity and healthy life-style such as weekly cricket and soccer. High adrenaline activities are strongly supported where resources enable, as these have such a demonstrated positive effect on young people, “alternative highs”.
BYS is also strongly committed to participating in our community and supporting young people to attend and help organise community events.
HEALTH PROMOTION & LIFE SKILLS
A diverse structured program of workshops and programs run across the week, with the purpose of up skilling young people around all aspects of their lives. BYS has recently trade-marked its model of health promotion “Spin for ya Health” which was just recognised as a best practice process with vulnerable target groups. “Spin” runs at least fortnightly around a wide variety of health related topics.
BYS also runs a weekly cooking program, a weekly young parents group, specialist parenting groups and a range of other education sessions on topics such as housing, the law, rights and other issues.
EDUCATION, TRAINING & EMPLOYMENT
All activities at BYS are designed with implicit learning objectives incorporated that build on the life skills and cognitive capacity of the young people who access the service. BYS believes that the sustainable exit to homelessness and poverty is truly through economic participation, however for many of our young people there are many steps before employment is a possibility.
To meet some of this need BYS has in 2008 very successfully run an internal Training and Employment Program which offers a range of accredited training for young people and supported pathways into employment. We also foster a range of relationships with other education and training providers.
COMMUNITY ARTS
Community Cultural Development has long been part of the ore practice framework at BYS. A diverse range of community arts programs are offered, depending on availability of funding. These usually entail collaboration with arts organisations, young people and support workers.
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
BYS has a long history of developing resources for and with young people using Community Cultural Development Practices. See the resources section of the web-site for more info!
HEALTH SERVICES
A range of health services are provided including a health clinic staffed by a Registered Nurse Tuesday – Friday, GP’s Monday and Friday afternoons from 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm and a Psychologist Tuesdays.
The clinic is free.
Services include medical services, sexual health care, health screening, vaccinations, mental health care plans as well as emergency responses to overdoses and self harm.
DRUG INTERVENTION
BYS has two and a half specialist Drug Intervention Workers who work with young people to address their drug use via crisis, individual and group support. This team works closely with Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs and services throughout Brisbane and the country to assist in meeting young people’s needs.
COMMUNITY EDUCATION
A great deal of community education occurs within BYS (see above sections). However, BYS workers are also available to offer sexual health, HIV/AIDS, Hep C, drug use and other education programs to youth workers and the wider community on request.
CASE MANAGEMENT/PLANNED SUPPORT
BYS is committed to supporting young people intensively to achieve their goals and become socially, morally, emotionally, physically and cognitively competent to self-determine their own lives.
A strong practice of professional supervision and support is provided to all staff within the organisation to ensure young people are receiving the highest quality of support possible. Al staff receive internal individual supervision and monthly team professional development.
Regular Practice Review and Planned Support meetings are conducted to support workers to reflect on and improve their practice, as well as to ensure that young people’s support needs are being addressed.
All support workers document their work in an electronic case management system to ensure accountability to young people, the organisation and funding bodies. The system is accessible to young people to monitor their achievements and record their feedback about the services that they use.
SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY SERVICES
A support worker is available to assist young people every day from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm. Workers will advocate on behalf of young people with hospitals, specialist health services, Centrelink, and other government and community services when required.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
BYS sees itself as a strong community and accordingly works consistently on incorporating Community Development Practice into its service wherever possible. This involves working strongly within the local Fortitude Valley networks to ensure the voices of young people are incorporated, working within young peoples other geographic communities to ensure they are connected and valued members and working with the community representing “young people” more broadly across political and other arenas.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
BYS values itself as a learning organisation and accordingly supports research and learning wherever possible. This is done by regular in-house research such as the twice yearly Drug Survey, conducting one-off research as funding enables such as the Chroming Report, enabling other research to BYS as a venue for data collection (such as Biala, the Children’s Commission, Legal Aid and others), hosting students across a wide range of disciples and feeding into innumerous government and non-government research and sector development processes.
SYSTEMIC ADVOCACY
BYS is strongly committed to advocating for policy and program change in areas where existing government policies are detrimental to the health and wellbeing of young people.
BYS participates in a very wide range of networks, working parties and the like to ensure that the young people we represent have an adequate voice in such sectors.
