OzChild’s MST program secures funding to get young people back on track

Intervening early is our greatest chance at breaking the cycle of disadvantage many juvenile offenders experience, and Multisystemic Therapy provides us with the greatest chance at keeping young people from entering the youth justice system. Since OzChild implemented the Multisystemic Therapy in 2019, 100 per cent of young people who have completed the program remain living at home, and 63 per cent engage in school or employment. Outcomes achieved have included substantially lower rate of arrest, remand and out-of-home care placements.

Multisystemic Therapy is the only treatment approach to demonstrate long-term reductions in re-arrest and placement in custody through randomised clinical trials with this target population. The families we have worked with over the last two years are reporting improvement with family functioning and reduced anti-social behaviours in young people, families are stronger, and they are together!

There is no doubt Multisystemic Therapy plays a crucial part in the work the Victorian Government is doing in developing a leading Youth Justice system that reduces offending and improves community safety, while working with others to give children and young people genuine opportunities to turn their lives around, that is why we are so pleased to see the hard work of our team in Victoria recognised with further investment announced yesterday by the Minister for Youth Justice, Natalie Hutchins MP.

Congratulations to the OzChild MST team!