Child, Youth and Family Centres

Parkerville Children and Youth Care’s Child, Youth and Family Centres are community-based, family-friendly facilities where professionals from different agencies and disciplines come together to provide specialist services for children, young people and families who have experienced abuse. Police, child protection workers, psychologists, child and family advocates and other allied health workers form a dedicated Multi-Agency Investigation and Support Team (MIST) team to reduce the harmful impacts of abuse trauma.

In Australia, one in three girls and one in five boys will be abused before they turn 18 years of age. The consequences can be crippling, not just for the individual but for our community as a whole. As a society, the way we care and respond to these children and their families can have a big impact on the long-term effects of that abuse and on the child’s ability to heal and go on to achieve a happy and fulfilling future.

Evaluation of the George Jones Child, Youth and Family Centre, undertaken by the University of South Australia, identified the centre as international best practice and recommended expanding the model across Australia.

The innovative facilities are a place of hope for children and young people who have been abused, bringing together skills and experienced professionals to support the needs of child victims and their families.

The Child, Youth and Family Centres are an easily accessible visible service in the community, promoting the importance of child safety and wellbeing. They run community activities, education and professional development programs, facilitating ongoing learning for those who work with children.