The Andrews Labor Government today announced a $700,000 grant for the Centre for Multicultural Youth and its partners to help the Wyndham community tackle youth crime and repeat offending.

The Strengthening Connections: Wyndham, Young People and Crime Prevention Program is one of 18 projects across Victoria to share in $7.6 million of funding from the Youth Crime Prevention Grants program.

Strengthening Connections is an innovative community-led program in Wyndham that will provide intensive support for young people aged between 16 and 24 years who have been identified as serious or recidivist offenders, to create a pathway away from offending.

The Strengthening Connections project will involve 15 young people who have already had contact with the justice system and work to help prevent them from reoffending through early intervention and diversion programs.

Delivered by a partnership of locally-based organisations, the project will provide a dedicated case manager to work in conjunction with youth facilitators and local service providers to deliver clinical treatment plans, group work, family counselling or therapy, outreach and after hours support.

This unique wraparound support model will draw on the collective skills and resources of the project partners to provide young people and their families with a comprehensive needs assessment, individualised case plan, case coordination and brokerage of services to deliver tailored and flexible support.

The project will work with the community partners, such as Victoria Police, Jesuit Social Services, Victoria Legal Aid, Whitelion, Wyndham CEC and Wyndham City Council, to address current service gaps for young people who are at risk of offending but do not fit within the scope of services currently offered. The Youth Crime Prevention Grants are part of the government’s ongoing work to address the underlying causes of youth crime and repeat offending.

The grants provide funding for community-led projects that work with young people aged between 10 and 24.

The government has also funded 42 additional police Youth Resource Officers to work in local communities and divert young people from a life of crime.

The additional staff are part of the government’s record $2 billion Community Safety Statement, which includes thousands more police, new powers, equipment and additional measures to hold young offenders to account.

A full list of the youth crime prevention projects can be found at crimeprevention.vic.gov.au

Quotes attributable to Minister for Police Lisa Neville

“Getting young people involved in their community, making them feel supported and helping them find education or employment is an important part of tackling youth crime.”

 Quotes attributable to Member for Werribee Tim Pallas

“The Andrews Labor Government is proud to be supporting these community-based programs, given the difference they can make to young people and their communities.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Altona Jill Hennessy

“Having this intensive support in the Wyndham community gives at-risk young people a pathway to a safer life.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Tarneit Telmo Languiller

“These types of projects can be life-changing and help give young people a fresh start and the best chance to succeed.”