Youth Minister Peter Tinley has today presented Mission Australia with a $51,000 Lotterywest grant for the organisation’s Drug and Alcohol Youth Service (DAYS) program.
The DAYS program – a partnership between Mission Australia and Next Step Drug and Alcohol Services – supports young people aged 12-21 who are hard to engage. The program offers a supportive and structured environment to undergo drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
It also provides young people and their families with access to a wide range of free and confidential alcohol and other drug services – including case management, individual counselling, medical assessment and clinical psychology.
Services with the DAYS program range from a community-based outpatient service and a short-stay youth withdrawal and respite accommodation service through to a longer stay residential rehabilitation service.
The Lotterywest grant will facilitate the refurbishment of counselling spaces used in the DAYS program.
As stated by Youth Minister Peter Tinley:
“Mission Australia’s Drug and Alcohol Youth Service is an outstanding model of how rehabilitation services can be delivered to young people.
“It works to minimise, and in some cases prevent, young people from coming into contact with the juvenile justice system.
“The program works in a variety of ways. For example it offers cannabis intervention services to young people cautioned by WA Police, or it delivers alcohol and drug counselling to young people in custody at Banksia Hill Detention Centre.
“The DAYS program also targets specific counselling services at young people using methamphetamine which, as we know, is fast becoming a major challenge to our community.
“I’m delighted this $51,000 from Lotterywest will help this outstanding program continue.”
