Working with young offenders poses unique challenges. They
engage in risky behaviours, have significant primary health needs
and present with a range of mental health issues and complex
behavioural and social concerns, including their offending
behaviour. In order to work with these young people and engage and
motivate them, service delivery needs to be dynamic and innovative,
and therapeutic modality needs to be creative.
Who we are?
The Adolescent Forensic Health Service (AFHS) is a program of
the Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal
Children's Hospital, Melbourne. AFHS has been operating since 1999
and is funded by the Youth Justice and Youth Services branch of the
Department of Human Services, Victoria. AFHS provide health care
services to young men and women aged 10-21 years who are involved
in the Youth Justice System in the state of Victoria.
AFHS is a unique multidisciplinary service that offers a
holistic approach to health care. We provide a number of clinical
and programmatic services to young people in custody and on
community based orders.
Our mission
At AFHS we undertake to provide the highest quality health and
rehabilitative services, in Victoria, for young offenders, their
families and the community with the vision of making a difference
to young peoples' wellbeing.
Our clients
The custody centres that AFHS serves are located at the Youth
Justice Institutions in Parkville, Melbourne. Two centres
reside on the Parkville site for young people aged 10-21 years who
are either on remand or serving custodial sentences from the
Children's and Magistrate's Courts. These centre's are: Parkville
Youth Residential Centre (PYRC) which houses young men aged 10-14
years and young women aged 10-21 years; and Melbourne Youth Justice
Centre (MYJC) which houses young men aged 15-18 years.
AFHS community based services are delivered centrally at the
AFHS offices in Parkville and also in each of the three
metropolitan Youth Justice regions (Southern, Eastern and
North-West), where they are co-located with Youth Justice Units
within the Department of Human Services. Being located in
the Youth Justice Units allows AFHS clinicians to develop
strong working alliances with Youth Justice case managers and
assist with overall case planning and management. It also
allows for easier access by young people who often face challenges
accessing and attending community .
