Sunshine Coast youth program to expand

A service to keep Sunshine Coast youth out of trouble with the law will be expanded thanks to Queensland Government funding of almost $100,000 a year for three years.

Communities Minister Warren Pitt said locally based Integrated Family and Youth Service would use the funding for innovative projects to reduce and prevent youth crime.

“This service aims to help young people aged between 10 and 17 in the Maroochy and Caloundra shires stay on the right side of the law,” Mr Pitt said.

“It will provide community-based mentoring to divert young people from offending or re-offending and will also support young people already before the courts through outreach, referral and intensive case management.

“In particular, it will focus on helping Indigenous people steer away from youth crime.”

Integrated Family and Youth Service works in partnership with three other organisations – Namtec (a Nambour-based youth development and training centre), the Beerwah and District Youth and Community Centre, and the Coolum Youth and Community Centre – to deliver the service called Building on Strengths.

Mr Pitt said the funding was being provided through a Department of Communities initiative called the Youth and Community Combined Action Program, or YACCA, which focused on crime prevention

“The causes of crime are many and varied. Reducing crime will always require a coordinated strategy that tackles the issue on a number of fronts,” Mr Pitt said.

“While there is no such thing as a quick fix to crime, this strong partnership of local groups is a very positive way of tackling crime.

“This is because we have found from experience that local people are best placed to develop local solutions to local issues.

“I firmly believe that this grassroots approach will help reduce the number of Sunshine Coast youth coming in contact with the juvenile justice system.”

Media contact: Peter Nibbs 3235 4280