What is the School Focused Youth Service (SFYS)

The School Focused Youth Service is a joint initiative between the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) and compliments the increase in support provided to schools in response to the recommendations of the Suicide Prevention Taskforce. The focus of the initiative is the co-ordination of preventative and early intervention strategies for young people aged 10-18yrs, to be delivered through school and community clusters.

The School Focused Youth Service is required to develop close linkages with school support personnel located within Government Schools as well as with Independent and Catholic Schools, and community agencies in contact with young people who are no longer connected to the school system. Developing these linkages enables identification of service gaps, development of strategies to respond to those gaps and the provision of a continuum of service intervention.

Core Objectives

Establish collaborative structures and mechanisms between schools and the relevant youth services and community services which support young people, including welfare, health and mental health agencies;
Provide linkages for schools; and
Improve linkages, cohesiveness and integration of service provision for young people displaying 'at risk' behaviours who require support and intervention.

Core Components

The establishment of linkages/coordination between youth services (in schools and in the community) which respond to the needs of young people. The capacity to purchase services as a result of identification, by the School Focused Youth Service, of current gaps in service availability.

The School Focused Youth Service (SFYS) aims to strengthen the support for 10–18-year old vulnerable children and young people by facilitating partnerships and coordination of services between schools and community service organisations at a local level. These partnerships facilitate the identification of key issues and the development of innovative strategies to address service gaps for vulnerable children and young people. Brokerage funding can be used to purchase services to meet those gaps.

SFYS Criteria for brokerage:

• alignment with the objectives of the SFYS Local and Regional Advisory groups and priority target group(s)
• be of direct benefit to vulnerable young people
• offer opportunities for sustainability, particularly of partnerships between local schools and agencies
• evidence-based best practice, which is innovative and offers opportunities for broad application
• includes two or more partners (one of which is a community service organisation)
• offers value for money
• projects that are sustainable beyond the initial funding.

Visit the SFYS download section for application forms and tip sheet (right hand sidebar)

Monash SFYS: Funding has been alocated for 2012

For more information or assistance

Please contact Barb on 9518 3900 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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