Youth Outreach
At Inner Melbourne Community Legal we believe all young people deserve the chance to realise their full potential and we work in partnership with a range of organisations to support them through difficult stages in their life.
We have enduring and fruitful relationships with education providers and youth services organisations to provide the right advice and advocacy for young people to navigate legal issues before they become barriers to education, trap them in the justice system, or cause health crises.
This work is backed by a large body of evidence that early intervention is likely to keep young people on the right track so that they can thrive as they enter adulthood. Early intervention is more effective and cost-efficient than crisis response.
IMCL’s youth justice program has two streams: youth outreach at community services; and youth lawyers embedded in public schools and flexible learning services.
This approach provides access to legal help for young people in an environment they are comfortable and has a proven transformative impact for people dealing with significant social adversity.
The results are:
• Improved educational outcomes through higher graduation rates and entry to post-school pathways.
• Enhanced student well-being, including mental well-being.
• Avoiding involvement in the youth justice and criminal legal systems.
“Many of our young service users and staff have worked together with IMCL to resolve complex and intersecting social issues impacting our community. We have seen the benefit of this collaboration first-hand, and the transformative outcomes achieved.”
- Joint letter from eight youth outreach services
Legal service delivery
Our lawyers are co-located with education providers and community services to facilitate accessible legal support in places young people already feel comfortable.
They are available to provide individual legal information, advice and ongoing casework via referrals from teachers, wellbeing staff and youth workers.
Capacity building
IMCL delivers co-designed legal education content to young people to build their skills and knowledge about the legal system so they can make informed decisions about their involvement in risky behaviours.
We work with teachers and youth workers to build their capacity to identify legal issues and make appropriate and timely referrals to IMCL’s youty outreach lawyers and other supporting services.
Shifrah Blustein is Managing Lawyer - Mental Health, Youth and AOD at Inner Melbourne Community Legal.
Caleb’s story
A school lawyer first met Caleb* when he had just turned 18 and was sporadically attending the flexible school where we were based. Caleb had a long history of child protection involvement and a background of family violence and parental drug use in the family home. Caleb had many past appearances in the Children’s Court.
We met Caleb after he was alleged to have been violent towards his partner and mother of his child, who was also a vulnerable young person who had recently turned 18. He was subject to a police application for an intervention order and charges for assault and breaching the interim intervention order by contacting his partner. There were also concerns from the Department of Families, Fairness and and Housing about Caleb’s daughter’s exposure to violence.
We worked with Caleb, his school supports and his youth refuge worker over a number of months and helped him to voluntarily engage in a men’s behaviour change program and with a psychologist. The school lawyer was successful in having some charges withdrawn and the intervention order varied to allow contact between Caleb, his partner and their child. The lawyer also helped Caleb with a tenancy issue so he could maintain his private rental accommodation.
As a result of this holistic support from the lawyer and the school’s youth worker, Caleb’s attendance in class increased, he completed Year 12 and has had no further contact with police or the justice system.
* Name changed to protect privacy
IMCL staff at a Beyond The Gates event at the North Melbourne campus of Saints College where they provided students and their families with information about our services and how to access support.
Our partnerships and relationships
IMCL maintains ongoing relationships with the following organisations and schools:
Hester Hornbrook Academy
Kensington Neighbourhood House
Wombat Housing Support Services
North Melbourne Language and Learning
Young Australian People
Our Place
The Huddle
Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre
Saints College
Drummond Street Services