Our Values and Commitments

At YSAS our values are enacted through our commitment to:

Social justice and human rights

Our commitment to social justice and human rights is based on respect for human dignity and worth. We believe that our society has an obligation to maximise benefit for all its members and to afford them protection from harm. YSAS respects young people’s right to self determination, consistent with the needs and rights of others.

Acceptance

YSAS accepts and values the diversity of young people’s life experience. We recognise the imperative of including and working with a young person’s culture, ethnicity, gender, spirituality, sexuality and personal values without discrimination. This also applies to our work with those involved in their care.

Integrity and authenticity

YSAS aspires to be open, honest and transparent in all of our transactions with young people and families as well as with community and government stakeholders. We are impartial and authentic in our professional practice and in the way we relate to colleagues within and outside our organisation.

Harm reduction

In line with Australian Government policy YSAS harm reduction strategies endeavour to limit or minimise the hazards and negative effects of substance use and dependency without necessarily seeking a reduction in, or elimination of consumption. The focus is on the safety, health and well-being of the young person. This approach is supported by The National Drug Strategy (NDS) and its forerunner, the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NCADA), operating since 1985.

Empowerment

Empowerment is a process of enabling people to gain increased control over their own lives and learn through their experience. For YSAS empowerment begins by creating a climate that leads to young people gaining a sense that change is possible.

Learning and evolving

YSAS has extensive experience in seeking to understand and respond to the needs of vulnerable young people. The collective knowledge of our practitioners, managers, researchers and organisational support staff is acquired through critical reflection on our practice. This has been combined with the feedback of service users to evolve our approach. YSAS continually develops mechanisms to harness this practice wisdom and to enhance our research and evaluation capacity.