Youth Support Coordinator

The Youth Support Coordinator (YSC) works with young people in high schools, and their families in the Rockhampton and Yeppoon Education District. The aim of the program is to provide the following services:

• Counselling and support to help young people to assess their circumstances and strengths, and make choices, decisions and plans.
• Information, advice and referral to facilitate access to, and use of, community services and resources to support personal or social functioning.
• Individual advocacy to help young people access services or entitlements.
• Mutual support and group work to help groups exchange information, experiences and skills to meet common needs and provide practical support.
• Social, cultural and personal development activities that promote wellbeing, positive relationships and a sense of belonging.
• Purchase of products and services to help young people move into and through the senior years of school, TAFE or other training programs.

Referrals may come from young people, families, education and training institutions, community agencies, and government departments who provide services to young people.

The programs operating principles are:

• Wellbeing and safety of young people is paramount.
• Respect fro all people involved in young people’s lives.
• Young people’s involvement is voluntary.
• Self determination by young people.
• Young people’s information is their own.
• Holistic responses to young people. For further
• information please contact:         

Lorraine Szepanowski

Phone: 4922 2008 Mobile: 0409 105 286 Fax: 4922 2049

E-mail: ysc@captrain.com.au

The YSC Program is proudly funded by the Department of Communities

YHARS

YHARS is a free confidential youth housing and after care support service targeting young people between the ages of 12 & 20 who are:

• Exiting or transitioning from child safety orders or a period of sentence or remand in youth detention facilities
• Sleeping rough
• At risk of homelessness
• Homeless
• Living in unstable, temporary or inadequate housing

 The YHARS program assists the transition into independent living by helping maintain and improve connections between young people, their community, culture and their family by:

• Developing knowledge and skills that foster independent living
• Providing a supportive, case managed environment that focuses on attitudes and the core values of respect, safety and positive self esteem; therefore enabling young people to complete their bail or supervised release orders with less chance of reoffending
• Helping to maintain or improve access to education, training or employment opportunities.

 Who can refer to YHARS?

• Youth Justice Services Centres
• Child Safety Service Centres
• Housing and Homelessness Service Centres
• Other Government agencies
• Non-government agencies
• Individuals.

 To contact a YHARS Youth Support Officer:

Phone: (07) 4922 2008

or email: yhars@captrain.com.au

Youth Connections

Youth Connections is an Australian Government program funded through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations aimed at assisting youth at risk of disengaging from education and training.

Youth Connections may be for you if you are:

• Aged between 14 - 18 years
• You are at risk of not completing year 12 or its equivalent, OR you have left school in the past 12 months without complet ing year 12 or its equivalent.
• You are at risk of not making a successful transition through school and from school to further education, training or employment.

Once you have been assessed as eligible for Youth Connections by a Youth Connections Officer, you will receive free assistance and support to either remain in or return to school, engage or re-engage in non school-based eduction, vocational learning and training or prepare for effective participation in Employment Services Australia activities.

Youth Connections is an Australian Government initiative funded through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. 

Youth Connections Officers are based in Mt isa and Longreach. You can access Youth Connections through your secondary school, or contact us at one of the following locations:

To contact a Youth Connections Officer, click here.

Or for more information click on the links located at the bottom of this page.