School Focused Youth Service works with schools to support students in years 5-12 who are vulnerable to, or at risk of disengaging from education. The service is available to all schools across government, Catholic and independent sectors.
What services do we offer?
SFYS is funded by the Department of Education and Training . Family Life is contracted to deliver its services in the Frankston, Bayside and Kingston Local Government Areas.
School Focused Youth Service has two main objectives:
- To build the capacity of schools to better respond to the needs of their students
- To provide targeted, evidence-based interventions to students who are at risk of disengaging from school.
These two types of service delivery often involve the brokerage of partnerships between schools and local community service organisations.
Why is Family Life’s School focused Youth Service different?
The School Focused Youth Service Coordinators at Family Life are trained in the Neurosequential Model in Education (NME). NME is an internationally acclaimed framework designed to teach educators about the sequential nature of brain development, how adverse childhood experiences can affect the brain and behaviour in students, and strategies for teachers to better support and engage with students in the classroom.
We provide training in NME to teachers and other education staff on the core concepts of NME. This training can build the capacity of schools to incorporate a trauma-informed lens to their learning environments and practices. In addition to our expertise with NME, we also work with many other local organisations outside of Family Life to ensure students can access all the services they need. These include programs and services which are also part of the Vulnerable Children’s Unit at the Department of Education and Training:
- Navigator – The Navigator program works to support disengaged young people to return to education and learning.
- LOOK OUT – LOOKOUT centres are designed to boost the capacity of schools, carers, child protection practitioners and out-of-home care services to improve educational outcomes for children and young people living in out-of-home care.
- Local Learning and Employment Networks – helping young people stay engaged or re-engage with schooling. We do this by facilitating partnerships that help build the capacity of young people to attend education, build positive relationships with educators and develop the skills they will require to move on successfully to the next stage of their life. Our two local LLEN’s are Frankston/Mornington Peninsula, and Bayside/Kingston/Glen Eira.
How can I get in contact with School-Focused Youth Service?
Schools within Bayside, Kingston or Frankston can contact our School Focused Youth Service Coordinators here:
- Frankston: jaitken@familylife.com.au
- Bayside/Kingston: agolshevsky@familylife.com.au
- +61 3 8599 5433
Schools in other areas of Victoria can find their local SFYS Coordinators.
If you would like to receive our SFYS newsletter please send an email to the above Coordinators.
