ALMOST 200 young people experiencing homelessness will benefit from a new partnership that will help find employment opportunities.
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Veritas House has been awarded a contract by the Federal Government through the Local Jobs Program to establish and deliver an initiative designed to achieve vocational outcomes for local young people who have experienced trauma.
Trauma-informed Individual Placement and Support (IPS) aims to help at least 180 young people aged 16-24 who are in out-of-home care or experiencing homelessness to find paid employment.
Veritas will deliver the program in partnership with Orygen, who will undertake research to evaluate of the effectiveness of the initiative, the results of which could inform supported employment programs for young people experiencing homelessness nationally and internationally.
"Veritas has been supporting homeless young people in our region for more than 40 years, and children and young people in out-of-home care since 2013, so we know the barriers to education and employment faced by young people who have experienced trauma," Veritas House chief executive officer Jody Pearce.
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"The Trauma-Informed IPS initiative places the employment preferences and strengths of the young person at the heart of how it identifies, seeks out, obtains and maintains employment for participants.
"We are confident that this targeted, individualised and supported approach will deliver employment outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young people in central western NSW."
Individual Placement Support is a strengths-based and person-centred model of education and employment support for individuals experiencing mental ill-health which has shown remarkable success internationally and in Australian trials, with average employment outcomes around three times higher than other employment service models.
The recent establishment of a clinical team at Veritas House, comprising registered psychologists and occupational therapists ensures young people will have easy access to a range of assessment and therapeutic services, while the involvement of Orygen will ensure the program is supported by evidence-based training and implementation support to ensure employment mentors are adhering to the principles of the IPS model.
"We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Orygen whose vocational recovery team have been implementing IPS trials since 2005 and offering modified versions of IPS in headspace centres since 2016 and researching and supporting the implementation of trauma-informed care in youth mental health services since 2012," Ms Pearce said.
"We are over the moon that the Australian Government has recognised the need to deliver a different model of employment supports for young people who have experienced trauma, and our staff are looking forward to engaging with local businesses to encourage them to support employment opportunities for local young people over the next two years."
For further information about the Trauma-Informed IPS program head online.
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