No it does not. All services are free to young people in need.

We are funded to support young people aged 8 - 25 years old depending on the program. Several programs are community based and open to all ages. Contact 3818 1050 for more details.

You are more than welcome to bring someone to accompany and support you.

No, you do not always have to come into our office. We might be able to assist you over the phone or to organise to see you. You can call 3818 1050 to talk to our staff about what might work best for you.

If you call us, we will try to work out over the phone how best to assist you. This might involve talking to one of our youth workers over the phone or making an appointment at a time which suits you or asking you to come in to talk to one of our trained youth workers. Our youth worker can also meet you at home or another place which suits you.

We recommend that you schedule an appointment with us, rather than just turning up. This eliminates being disappointed if everyone is busy and not able to see you.

When you arrive for your appointment you will meet a youth worker. You will be able to talk in a comfortable and private setting. Sometimes it can be difficult to talk about everything you want to when you first meet the youth worker. It will be important for you, and us to take time to get to know each other and feel comfortable working together. Your youth worker will help you to develop a plan that will outline your needs and goals and how you will achieve them with our help.

When you come into for help. you will see one of our qualified youth workers. To gain a better idea of the type of person you might see. You can check out some youth worker Profiles.

Any information about you will only be disclosed when we have your consent to do so, or if we are legally obliged to provide information (eg: subpoena). However in some situations we are able to share information when we are concerned about your safety or wellbeing or that of other person. We will attempt to gain your consent but sometimes that is not possible, practical or necessary.

The services and programs provided by QYFSS are confidential, information about you is kept on file to ensure we can offer you the best ongoing support and treatment. Information about you will only be disclosed to other people when we have your consent to do so, if we are legally obliged to provide information or if sharing information about a person under 18 will help ensure their safety or well-being.

If our staff think you or others around you are in an unsafe environment, we will talk with you what actions you can take to ensure your safety. This may involve calling the police or simply removing yourself from any danger. Our staff are trained to understand domestic violence and abusive relationships and can help you with strategies to manage your relationships as well as helping you find a safe place to live.

We can assist you to find and maintain safe, stable accommodation and to develop the skills needed to successfully live independently. You may also benefit from learning new life skills to help you with independent living. We offer:

• QHIP Assessments
• Transitional housing for youth aged between 16-25 years old.
• Tenancy skills workshop to assist members of the community gain private rentals.

We know finding a job can be challenging, particularly if you are young or at risk of homelessness. Our youth workers can help guide you to gain the skills or overcome barriers to help you find and keep a job. We offer several job readiness programs.

Starting or continuing your education can be quite difficult when your are experiencing issues within your life. Our experienced youth workers understand this and can assist you to access education or training and even talk with your school or college to help make this happen.

We have food hampers available on Wednesdays each week. Hampers items will vary week to week. Hampers are available from 10:30am. Call our office on 3818 1050 for further details. We also have fresh bakery each day and fruit available on Mondays.

In an emergency situation always contact 000.

There are several 24 hours call services available including

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

Lifeline 13 11 14

Suicide Callback 1300 659 467

For all non-emergency situation, you can call our office and speak with one of our qualified youth workers or fill out one of our referral forms on our website.

We are committed to improving our services and programs, and one of the ways that we do that is by responding to any concerns raised by clients, our community partners, or the general public. We aim to respond quickly to complaints and offer a process that is user-friendly and protects the rights of any person making a complaint. Your complaint will be handled confidentiality and you will receive feedback about what we have done to respond to your complaint.