News
25 October, 2024
Caboolture youth intervention gets grant
A new grant will allow Lutheran Services’ Intercept Youth and Family Program to continue its early intervention initiative, which supported 40 vulnerable young people in the Moreton Bay Region last year.
Intercept Service Manager Sarah Souter said the funding would allow the organisation to build on the success of its Compass program, launched in 2023 as a pilot.
“We are thrilled to continue the Compass program after receiving a 12-month grant via the Targeted Response to Youth Crime from the Queensland Government’s Department of Youth Justice,” Ms Souter said.
“Compass participants are young people aged 10 to 16 who may be experiencing some common risk factors such as disengagement from school, conflict in the family, and peer relationships.
“Last year, our data showed the biggest area of improvement was an increased connection to education.”
Ms Souter said the involvement of parents, carers, and families in the program was essential.
“We provide parents and carers with support and advice on their responses to challenging behaviours, setting boundaries, and understanding the developmental stages of a young person,” she said.
The program was created by the Intercept team’s combined years of experience in multidisciplinary fields including social work and psychology.
“An essential part of the Compass program is building rapport and connection with young people and their families in a non-judgmental way,” Ms Souter said.
“As an outreach-based program, our team aims to reduce any barriers to participants by meeting them one-on-one with their case manager in an environment where they feel most comfortable.
“At the completion of the program, the young people and their families are asked to rate themselves to establish how effective the intervention has been.”
Intercept, a not-for-profit community support service based in Caboolture and provided by Lutheran Services, runs nine programs to support at-risk young people and their families in Moreton Bay. For more information, call 1800 960 433 or visit lutheranservices.org.au.
