[Sub ID 4668] PowerUp Connections (YFS Ltd)

Submission ID: 4668
Organisation name: YFS Ltd
Contact name: Ms Cath Bartolo
State: QLD
Contact email: cathb@yfs.org.au

Summary:
Our proposed Connections initiative takes a new approach to addressing barriers to getting a job for vulnerable young parents, carers and students through:

1. Capacity development in human services organisations: building capacity and resources among case workers and support services who engage with high-risk young parents, carers and students, so that these key workers can better encourage and support young people to link with employment and training
2. Connections: increasing work readiness and engagement with employment pathways among young clients of these agencies.

Our project draws on evidence that integrated, intensive case management is needed to support very vulnerable young people into work, and that this case management needs to address vocational and non-vocational factors together.

The Connections project will create synergies between existing vocational and non-vocational programs. Young parents, carers and students who are receiving support from a case manager for non-vocational issues are ideally placed to begin to build their work readiness through supported linkages with employment preparation opportunities.

We propose a demonstration project of a Connections team to work with youth agencies in an area with significant concentrations of vulnerable parents, carers and at-risk students, such as Logan.