YACVic and the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) have completed a new joint report, Building the Scaffolding – Strengthening support for young people in Victoria, which examines how policy, planning and the delivery of youth support services could be strengthened to improve support for young people in Victoria.
The research builds on work undertaken by VCOSS and YACVic in 2006 (which resulted in the report, Who’s Carrying the Can? A report into youth service gaps in Victoria) to provide an up-to-date snapshot of issues affecting service provision to young people in Victoria and recommend ways forward to improve service delivery.
The research builds on work undertaken by VCOSS and YACVic in 2006 (which resulted in the report, Who’s Carrying the Can? A report into youth service gaps in Victoria) to provide an up-to-date snapshot of issues affecting service provision to young people in Victoria and recommend ways forward to improve service delivery.
Included in this report are findings from a 2012 survey of 213 community, school and government service providers in Victoria, exploring:
· the availability of youth support services
· gaps that currently exist in the provision of generalist and specialist services
· the impact of such gaps on the health and wellbeing of young people
· issues of access, the provision of services to children in the ‘middle years’ (i.e. 8 to 12 year olds), and
· ideas for improving the delivery of support services for young people.
The report finds critical gaps in the areas of housing (including crisis accommodation and transitional housing and supports), specialist mental health supports, supports for young people with disabilities, and flexible learning options. Building the Scaffolding also highlights the lack of policies and supports available for children in the ‘middle years’ (those aged 8 to 12 years). Ongoing funding challenges for services are also discussed.
Building the Scaffolding makes a range of recommendations aimed at addressing systemic policy, funding and practice issues in order to improve the provision of support to Victorian young people across the universal and specialist service platforms.
The report emphasises the importance of supports being provided across the life course, the need for early intervention for children and young people at every age and stage, the key role that generalist youth support services play in assisting young people, the importance of effective local, regional and state service planning, development and governance arrangements, and the need for development of more flexible and transparent funding models that support coordinated youth centred models.
The report may be downloaded from YACVic’s website at http://www.yacvic.org.au/.
Thank you so much to everyone who completed the survey or helped in the development of this report! Building the Scaffolding is much richer for your support.
· the availability of youth support services
· gaps that currently exist in the provision of generalist and specialist services
· the impact of such gaps on the health and wellbeing of young people
· issues of access, the provision of services to children in the ‘middle years’ (i.e. 8 to 12 year olds), and
· ideas for improving the delivery of support services for young people.
The report finds critical gaps in the areas of housing (including crisis accommodation and transitional housing and supports), specialist mental health supports, supports for young people with disabilities, and flexible learning options. Building the Scaffolding also highlights the lack of policies and supports available for children in the ‘middle years’ (those aged 8 to 12 years). Ongoing funding challenges for services are also discussed.
Building the Scaffolding makes a range of recommendations aimed at addressing systemic policy, funding and practice issues in order to improve the provision of support to Victorian young people across the universal and specialist service platforms.
The report emphasises the importance of supports being provided across the life course, the need for early intervention for children and young people at every age and stage, the key role that generalist youth support services play in assisting young people, the importance of effective local, regional and state service planning, development and governance arrangements, and the need for development of more flexible and transparent funding models that support coordinated youth centred models.
The report may be downloaded from YACVic’s website at http://www.yacvic.org.au/.
Thank you so much to everyone who completed the survey or helped in the development of this report! Building the Scaffolding is much richer for your support.
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