Embedded Youth Outreach Project

The embedded youth outreach project (EYOP) initially commenced as a one-year pilot as part of the 2018-19 Community Safety Statement, modelled on the mobile units of Police, Ambulance and Clinical Response (PACER) designed to respond to persons suffering mental health conditions.

The initiative has been designed to help support:

• Disengaged youth
• Youth undertaking high risk behaviours including offending
• Youth who are victims of crime
• Missing persons
• Youth in custody
• Families of the young person

EYOP is a mobile youth response unit paired with youth workers to form an afterhours support and referral service for youth encountering police.
 
EYOP actively identifies clients by monitoring the radio and attendance module

• Members contact EYOP units
• Secondary response
• ND2 and SD3 1500 – 2300hrs 7 days a week
• Assessment and triage of needs
• Referral to a service agency
• Follow up contact by the youth worker
   

Key areas of EYOP interventions

The EYOP intervention aims to reduce long term involvement in the criminal justice system by engaging with the young person and their family, assessing their needs and referring them to youth services. These may include:

• Family intervention
• Behavioural intervention
• Education
• Employment
• Housing
• Mental health
• Drug and alcohol
• Victims of crime
• Pro-social recreational activities including sport
   

Areas of operation

• Werribee Police Station (servicing the areas of Wyndham, Hobson’s Bay and Maribyrnong)
• Dandenong Police Station (servicing Greater Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia).

Partnerships

EYOP is delivered through a  partnership between:

• Victoria Police
• YSAS
• Centre for Forensic Behaviour Science at Swinburne University

Evaluation

In conjunction with the roll-out of EYOP, CFBS at Swinbourne University was contracted to develop an evaluation framework and implementation to allow for ongoing monitoring of program efficacy and allow for ongoing service improvement.
 
The evaluation development and implementation is overseen by the EYOP Steering Group, which meets monthly. In addition, an EYOP Working Group meets more regularly and provides support to the Steering Group.

The evaluation team has engaged and consulted key stakeholders to collaboratively plan the evaluation, refine data collection processes, and operationalise program objectives.

Funding History

• 2018-19 – initial funding for a one-year pilot
• 2019-20 – funding for an additional year of operation (ending in August 2020)