Information for service providers | Youth Insearch

Information for service providers

Youth Insearch works in partnership with services to deepen their work with at-risk young people, and provide a means for real change to occur. Services find this particularly beneficial for resistant young people, those with deep trauma, and where previous interventions have failed.

Further information can be found as follows.

BECOME A REFERRAL PARTNER 

Call us today on (02) 8855 9700.

To make a referral services usually need to partner with us. Referral partnerships are established in the following way.

We brief you on the program – you call us and we send out our program coordinator to brief your service on the program, and also train your workers to become Support Adults. The number of workers trained depends on the number of young people you want to refer. The ratio is set at 1 Support Adult to 4 young people. Typically a service will start with this and then build into more workers and young people.

Your workers become Support Adults in the program – as a Support Adult your worker:

  • assesses, selects and refers young people to the program from your service
  • briefs your young people on the program (our local youth leaders can attend to assist with the briefing)
  • ensures the completion and submission of all referral, registration & progress forms to Youth Insearch head office
  • transports and attends the weekend workshops and support groups with your young people as support
  • ensures your young people receive the support of your service for the issues being dealt with
  • makes any specialist referrals if the need arises
  • generally supports your young people through the program

This work is conducted with the full support and guidance of the Community Coordinator who ensures your worker is not left alone and steps in if there is any difficulty.

Generally, a young person will attend four to eight weekend workshops over a period of six to twelve months and 26 support groups. Over time, some young people progress to the extent that they can continue in the program independently without the Support Adult. This decision is made by the Support Adult and Community Coordinator.

Make a Referral Only

We understand that in some cases services may not be able to partner with Youth Insearch or provide a Support Adult, but still wish to refer young people. In this case, the Community Coordinator may be able to link your young person in with a service already in partnership with Youth Insearch, a volunteer Support Adult, or act as the Support Adult themselves. In this situation, the Community Coordinator liaises between everyone involved ensuring the young person has the means to participate in the program and the support they need. Places for these types of referrals are more limited. Please call the office on (02) 8855 9700 to discuss.

What Services Say

Below is a sample of feedback received from services as part of an independent review commissioned by the NSW State Government. Please also visit the Testimonials Page and Supporters Page.

“I think this is the most effective program I've ever been involved with”

Youth Refuge Worker

“86% of services said that they would definitely continue their involvement in the program”

“Amongst all stakeholders ‘the program was seen ‘as one of a kind’ that has excellent results in addressing a range of issues and empowering young people to make positive changes to their lives’”

“Three common elements made Youth Insearch camps stand out above [other programs] - effectiveness, depth and youth involvement”

“[The other program] was still a good program, but it wasn’t so effective in long term positive change.”

School Counsellor

“Many commented that they had been skeptical about expecting positive outcomes at first, due to their experiences with other youth programs, but that they were quickly won over once they saw (or saw outcomes from) the program in action. In the end all found that the positive outcomes met or exceeded their expectations.”

“Among [services] … the most common theme to emerge when discussing the program was their surprise in the level of success the program had in empowering young people to make real changes in their attitudes and behaviour’s. Several commented that the program did this in a way they had not seen any other programs do so, and worked effectively with young people who were facing the most difficult of issues. There was also praise for the inclusive nature of the program and the ability it has to help young people with such a wide range of issues.”

(Urbis: 2003, pp.12, 36, 65)