Youth Justice Programs
Whitelion Youth Justice Program
Whitelion, 155 Roden Street, West Melbourne.
03 8354 0800
Eliana.cuppari@whitelion.asn.au
Whitelion delivers the Justice Employment program to provide young people whose behaviours have resulted in involvement with the Justice system or are at risk of criminality, as well providing positive community connectedness, young people are supported to engage, re-engage in education and training or employment.
Young Women Youth Justice Program
Level 1, 108-112 Langridge St, Collingwood VIC 3066
0422 608 391
admin@womenandmentoring.org.au
Women in Mentoring (WAM) matches women (including young women) who have been involved in the youth justice or adult justice system with women mentors to support their transition post release or post involvement. WAM offers a unique, early intervention program that supports women charged with a criminal offence by matching them individually with a supportive volunteer, female mentor. The volunteer mentors are trained and resourced to provide appropriate support to the program participants, to share their skills and to contribute to the wider community. The program has made a significant positive difference to the participants’ confidence, coping mechanisms and capacity to respond to their legal matters and address the issues that underlie their offending. The vast majority of the participants have avoided a prison sentence and have not re-offended.
Worth a Second Chance
Jesuit Social Services Advocacy initiative aimed at addressing the treatment of children who come into contact with the Youth Justice System to promote greater understanding of the precursors leading to criminal behaviour and to support more helpful interventions that lead to positive change. This is not a service but a campaign to promote #Wortha2ndChance.
Youth Justice Network
For youth organisations supporting youth involved in justice
This University of Melbourne initiative brings together key stakeholders to address myths and negative perceptions impacting the rights and opportunities of young people coming into contact with the Youth Justice system. The network is:
• Building capacity within organisations working with and for justice-involved young people in Victoria;
• Providing a platform for diverse expertise, skills and knowledge to be shared;
• Gathering and collating resources for those working to improve the experience of and outcomes for justice-involved young people; and
• Using the knowledge generated to understand and better respond to the complexity of issues associated with young people’s interactions with the justice system in Victoria.
Youth Justice Community Support Services
Located at Childrens Courts across Victoria
​03 8684 0000
Youth Justice Community Support Service (YJCSS), which provides individualised intensive support to eligible young people transitioning out of custody, regarding employment, education or training as well as developing independent living skills or better connections to family, community or culture. This funding has been provided to expand the availability of YJCSS to include after-hours and weekend support in the metropolitan area. Afterhours and weekend support will also be rolled out to regional areas in the coming months.
Youth Law
9611 2412
legal@youthlaw.asn.au
Youthlaw is Victoria’s state-wide free community legal centre for young people under 25 years of age. Their online website offers a vast range of information. Youth Law can provide young people with legal advice on:
- Fines, train/tram fines for example
- Criminal charges, police interviews
- Becoming Independent
- Complaints, being treated unfairly at work for example
- Car accidents, insurance
- Discrimination , harassment -Family rights when parents separate
- School, being expelled or bullied - violence and abuse
- Victims of crime