Projects

Projects - Safety, Engagement, Education and Recreation (SEER): Project Evaluation

The SEER project is based at the Youth Substance Abuse Service (YSAS) in Morwell in the Latrobe Valley. This project is targeted at young people between the ages of 12 and 21 years who use drugs (particularly inhalants) and who are not engaged in school. The project aims to provide a crisis response to young people affected by inhaling volatile substances.

The SEER project creates pathways and options for young people in two ways. When young people using inhalants in public places are encountered by the police, SEER provids a 'safe place' to recover from episodes of chroming. Secondly, the project provides an ongoing treatment option for young people who are engaged with YSAS Outreach and have been identified by the staff as 'at risk' of chroming. These young people are linked to appropriate treatment options as part of the intitial assessment and treatment planing process. The Day Program offers a range of activities for young people to participate in and provides the opportunity for workers to engage with the particpants at a therapeutic level.

The evaluation found that initiatives aimed at improving the lives of youngg people in their community need to be a shared responsibility if they are to be effective. The SEER project operating at YSAS is an example of such a collaborative response to the issue of high risk young people and the use of volatile inhalants in the community.

Contact: Bern Murohy

Contact: bemurphy@unimelb.edu.au