Services

ALL YAC services are free, voluntary and confidential. We may be able to help if you are anywhere in the greater Brisbane area – between Caboolture and Beenleigh and Ipswich to the Bay Islands.

For more information or to ask for for help – contact us! The staff taking your call will work out who is the best person at YAC to help you.

Legal Services (10-18 yrs)

YAC’s specialist youth lawyers provide:

  • legal information and advice generally about the law, legal and court processes and your legal rights
  • representation in court for youth justice and sometimes child protection matters
  • advocating for young people in relation to the police and other authorities they may be in conflict with

Homelessness and youth support services (15-25 yrs)

YAC’s homelessness and youth support team is based in Brisbane and Caboolture but travels to where young people are. The workers can help:

  • with information and referral to a range of supports and services
  • find young people somewhere to live – now and in the longer term
  • improve/develop the skills young people need to live independently
  • with practical stuff like getting ID, sorting out mental health issues, getting back into school or finding a job, problems with Centrelink
  • work out, with the young person, what they want for their life and help get on track towards those goals
  • make sure young people are heard and their wishes taken into account when decisions are being made about them and that they are treated fairly
  • at court by going with the young person, including where they are the victim of a crime and giving evidence, and providing a report for the court where appropriate

Family support services (10-18 yrs)

YAC’s Family Support worker will work with them and their family – but only at the request/with the agreement of the young person – and can help:

  • re-build relationships within the family and the community for now and the longer term
  • put strategies in place to make things better at home for the young person, their parents and siblings
  • parents better understand and be better able to support, and advocate for, their young person
  • at court by going with the young person and their family and providing a report for the court where appropriate

Bail and Order Support Service (BOSS) (10-18 years)

BOSS is an independent, community based service at YAC for young people from Gympie to the Gold Coast who are thought to be at serious risk of breaching their bail or youth justice orders.

BOSS staff provide resources, supports and activities to young people, particularly for education and employment, housing and accommodation, connection to family and connection to culture, and social/fun things to do so that young people can keep to the conditions the court has ordered and avoid getting into further trouble with the law.

Only Youth Justice officers can refer a young person to BOSS – but if a young person thinks BOSS can help them, they should talk to their YJO, lawyer or call YAC.

Youth Court Assistance Program (YCAP) (10-18 years)

YCAP is a community based program, developed by the Youth Advocacy Centre’s homelessness and youth support program. It has been operating in the Brisbane Childrens Court for many years, has recently been established in Caboolture and Pine Rivers, and is about to be introduced in the Redcliffe, Cleveland, Southport, Ipswich, Richlands and Cairns Childrens Courts.

The YCAP worker engages with young people who are waiting at court to:

  • ensure they have legal help and understand the court process
  • identify any social welfare needs of the young person and provide information and facilitated referrals, particularly in relation to bail support and homelessness, but also other issues which are likely to be contributing to their engagement with the justice system.

Community legal education services (10-18 years; workers)

The YAC community legal education lawyer is able to:

  • attend schools, youth agencies and organisations across Brisbane to provide information so that young people better understand the law and how it affects or applies to them and legal processes.
  • provide workers with young people (youth workers, teachers, school guidance officers, etc) with  information and training about legal issues relevant to their work and/or their clients: in particular, the lawyer delivers an in-depth 2 day workshop with the homelessness and youth support coordinator.