Youth and Family Service

The Youth and Family Service is a free service for young people and/or their families living in the Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Nambucca areas.

The Youth and Family Service works with young people (aged 8 to 24 years old) and/or their families, parents and carers to ensure young people are safe and connected, and parents are supported to strengthen family relationships.

What can the Youth and Family Service do?

The Youth and Family Service provides a range of individual and group support options including:

• Information, advice and referral
• Family capacity-building activities
• Education and skills-based programs
• Advocacy and support
• Parenting programs
• Social and community participation activities.

The Youth and Family facilitators also coordinate the Coffs Harbour Youth Interagency (YNet) which is held on the last Wednesday of each month from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm.

The Youth and Family Service can help young people and families to:

• Increase a sense of belonging and wellbeing
• Improve communication and relationships
• Strengthen community, school and social engagement
• Negotiate behaviour and activities
• Gain knowledge and skills to make positive life and family choices
• Know about community services and resources to meet individual and family needs.

You can access support from the Youth and Family service if you are:

• • a young person aged 8 to 24 years old
  • a parent/carer/guardian of a child or young person who is between 8 and 17 years of age.
  • living in the Coffs Harbour, Bellingen or Nambucca areas
  • in need of some bit of support or information to help make things better, or to make sure young people are safe
  • wanting to participate in an activity, a program or event
  • a young person in need of a safe place just to ‘hang out’.

How do I access the Youth and Family Service?

The Youth and Family Service is a voluntary service. This means you only receive the information/support you ask for and agree to.
You can contact one of the Youth and Family facilitators yourself on the phone number or email to the right, or be referred to the service by another service.
The Youth and Family Service operates out of the Groundworks Youth and Family Hub and provides outreach to Bellingen, Nambucca and surrounding areas.
You can also drop into the Groundworks Youth and Family Hub – Monday to Friday – to access information and other youth- and family-related programs running out of the Hub, to participate in an activity or to use the facilities which include tea and coffee-making facilities, food, toiletries, clothes, family room, sensory room, toilets, computers, WiFi, phone, printer, TV, games and more!

Tuning into Teens

Learn how to better understand, connect to and communicate with your teen in this workshop series. Teach your teen how to manage emotions and conflict. Contact us for information regarding the next workshops.

If you are another service referring someone to the Youth and Family Service, please click here to download and fill in the YFS Referral Form.

The Youth and Family Service is funded by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice.