Engaging With Young People, Families and the Community

1
Engaging With Young People, Families and the
Community Whose Job Is It? Destinations Our
Core Business August 24 25, 2008 Mark
Grant Manager Policy youthcentral Office for
Youth Department of Planning and Community
Development
2
My Dad, My Brother and I, 1968
My son, Hugo 2003 2008
3
Child and Adolescent Component of the National
Survey of Mental Health Barriers to Obtaining
Help
4
Engagement What are we talking about
?Your definition. Mine. or ours?
5

• Engagement..
• Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
• 1. the act of engaging or the state of being
  engaged.
• 2. an appointment or arrangement a business
  engagement.
• 3. betrothal They announced their engagement.
• 4. a pledge an obligation or agreement All his
  time seems to be taken up with social
  engagements.
• 5. employment, or a period or post of employment,
  esp. in the performing arts Her engagement at
  the nightclub will last five weeks.
• 6. an encounter, conflict, or battle We have had
  two very costly engagements with the enemy this
  week alone.
• Mechanics. the act or state of interlocking.
• 8. engagements, Commerce. financial obligations.

6
My Proposition..Engagement with Young
People, Families and the Community is the key
job of schools. Because it improves
personal development and learning.
7

• Student Wellbeing Discussion Paper..
• We know that some students require additional
  or more flexible learning and development
  opportunities and that some groups of students
  and their families face particular disadvantage
  due to a range of challenges, including
  disability or developmental delay, low
  socioeconomic background, being an Indigenous
  person, or a refugee.
• Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more
  likely to be behind in learning and development.
• The student support services program is an
  important and valuable resource to assist schools
  to meet the needs of these students.

8
Dis - engagement 1 After a Bad AIMS
ResultYou may like to contact your school to
discuss this result.
9
Dis-engagement No 2 Choices Choices15 VET
subjects exist, you can choose one.Although
VCAL is not offered at XXXX School, interested
students will be assisted to source VCAL
providers.
10
Now to Policy.....................
11
The Policy Landscape is Changing

• Future Directions
• Education Blueprint
• Mental Health Reform
• Vulnerable Youth Framework
• Strengthening Student Support Services
• State Co-ordination and Management Council
  Projects
• Better Youth Services Pilots
• Disengaging 13-16 year olds

12
(No Transcript)
13
Future Directions A Focus on Outcomes

• Future Directions Outcome Areas
• Contribute more to their communities and want to
  make a difference.
• Make a successful transition from school to a
  job they like.
• Know how to access information, support and
  services they need.
• Lead healthy, active and culturally diverse
  lifestyles.
• Live in a safe environment and choose safe
  behaviours

Future Directions Policy 15 Lead Performance
Measures
14
Vulnerability.....A combination of personal and
social circumsances limit a young person from
fulfilling their potential.
15
What, or Who, do we Mean by Vulnerable Youth?
Victoria has an estimated residential population
of 5.1 Million people Over 1.1 Million or 22 are
aged between 10 and 25 years old
11,000 access SAAP
55,000 have mental health problems
10,000 Homeless Young people
16,000 have a depressive order
48,000 have ADHD
Young people (10 24 yrs) represent 1/3 of
people killed on our roads
85 of all victims of sex (non-rape) offences are
young people
SSAY represent 6-11 of Australian population.
This group are 6 times more likely to attempt
suicide
27 of Victorian aged 18-24 yrs have a mental
illness - only 25 seek assistance
12,000 have a conduct disorder
29,000 have contact with VicPol
10-24 year olds represent 21 of the population
but in 05/06 represented 46 of offender
processed
9,000 access Drug and Alcohol Services
2000 are on Community Based Orders
800 are in Youth Justice/ CV facilities
16
Vulnerable Youth Framework Focus Areas

• Prevention and early identification
• Engagement in education, training and employment
• Local planning for youth services
• Tailored responses to particular groups
• Effective services, capable people.

17
Early Intervention Strategies

• National Institute of Health, US Dept of Health
  and Human Services
• Prevention and early intervention strategies aim
  to
• Build resilience, by changing the balance between
  risk and protective factors so that the effect of
  protective factors outweighs the effect of risk
  factors.
• Reduce the risk or ameliorate the effect of less
  than optimal social and physical environments
  and/or
• Influence childrens parents or families
  behaviours.

18
Keeping young people on trackEarly intervention
prevents later problems

• Young people who need help, but cannot access it,
  will be less likely to complete school or
  training.
• The average duration of long-term unemployment is
  2.7 years and the estimated cost to society is as
  much as 51,000 for one long stint for a young
  person. (1)
• The total lifetime costs of one years early
  school leavers is estimated at 1.3 billion of
  which 60 is borne by government. (2)
• Increasing the number of young people completing
  school or an apprenticeship to 90 by 2010 would
  increase workforce numbers by 65,000 and expand
  the economy by 10 billion. (3)
• Boston Consulting Group (2001) Pathways to Work
  tackling long-term unemployment.
• Dusseldorp Skills Forum (1999) The cost to
  Australia of Early School-Leaving.
• Access Economics (2005) The Economic Benefit of
  Increased Participation in Education and
  Training.

19
What Works for Vulnerable Young People?

• 2005 Study Resilience Research Past, Present and
  Future (Werner) found that the most significant
  factors in effecting positive change for
  vulnerable young people were
• Continuing in education
• Vocational skills attainment
• A stable partner or significant adults and
• Active community engagement connection to
  peers, family, school etc

20
What Works Characteristics of Successful
Programs

• Interventions that have been shown to enhance
  resilience are person-specific.
• Interventions for vulnerable/ at-risk young
  people must provide opportunities for a sense of
  belonging, connectedness and participation to be
  fostered.
• Interventions that incorporate and truly involve
  a coordinated effort across the three spheres of
  a young persons social world, (school, family
  and community).
• Action interventions that span multi-year
  programs appear to have longer lasting effects
  (concept of a follow-up intervention / staged
  curriculum).

21
Better Youth Service Pilots

• There are immediate opportunities foor change,
  lets explore them.

22
Better Youth Service Pilots

• Local area planning will be used to explore
  opportunities for
• More co-ordinated service provision
• Better data capture and sharing to monitor
  outcomes
• Service reconfiguration

23
Barriers the Case of Mental Health Services

• The 2000 Child and Adolescent Component of the
  National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
  showed that
• 14 of young people aged 12-17 years had a mental
  health problem
• One in ten young people experienced anxiety
  disorders and depression.
• 14 of young Victorians experienced high to very
  high levels of psychological distress.
• Only 25 of all young Australians with mental
  health problems receive professional help.
• Only 50 with severe mental health problems
  receive professional help.
• Of young people assessed as having with mental
  disorders, who fell in the clinical range of the
  Total Problems scale on the Child Behaviour
  Checklist, and whose parents reported that they
  required assistance
• 50attended a professional service, and only 17
  attended a specialist mental health service.
• Parents cited cost, not knowing where to get
  help, waiting lists and asking for help but not
  getting any among reasons for their children not
  receiving professional help.

24
Child and Adolescent Component of the National
Survey of Mental Health Barriers to Obtaining
Help
25
The role of schools

• Schools are at the centre of the engagement
  issue.

26
What Works Characteristics of Successful
Schools

• Foster connectedness between students, parents,
  the school and the community.
• Increase the trust placed in students
• Provide tasks for students with immediate,
  tangible benefits
• Make spaces within schools and curricula for
  diverse student needs
• Address poor achievement
• Address students practical personal obstacles to
  staying at school.

27
Role of Schools

• Early Risk identification (Students At Risk Tool)
• Individualised Planning and Support
• Co-ordination Effective Referral
• Strengthened School/community networks
• Stronger awareness of and links to
  community/youth services
• Effective referrals
• Co-located Co-ordinated Service responses