DFV Children and Young People support programs
Specialist Workers for Children and Young People program
The Specialist Workers for Children and Young People (SWCYP) program aims to break the cycle of disadvantage and improve client outcomes for children and young people under 18 years of age who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and have been impacted by domestic and family violence (DFV).
In May 2024, the NSW Government announced an additional $245.6 million over four years to expand programs that support domestic, family, and sexual violence victim-survivors. This includes $48 million to extend the SWCYP program and expand into additional refuges.
Program objectives
Following expansion of the SWCYP program in September 2024, specialist support is now offered to accompanied children and young people in over 32 women’s refuges across NSW.
The objectives of the SWCYP program are to:
- determine which children and young people require specialist children’s support;
- provide direct and tailored services and support to children and young people that are trauma informed, child centred and culturally safe; and
- support children and young people to access mainstream and specialist services.
SWCYP Program Evaluation
An evaluation of the SWCYP program’s first 12 months of operation (2022/23) found the program is achieving positive outcomes for children and young people and recommends the continuation and expansion of the program to other women’s refuges.
DCJ supports the 10 recommendations presented in the evaluation report, and is working on addressing each recommendation into the SWCYP program.
SWCYP Program Evaluation Report PDF, 1130.05 KB
Program specifications
The Specialist Workers for Children and Young People program specifications PDF, 275.16 KB provide guidelines for the implementation and delivery of the SWCYP program.
For further information please contact dfvprograms@dcj.nsw.gov.au.
Accompanied Children Support Services
The Accompanied Children Support Services (ACSS) program has been allocated $5.2 million over 4 years to 30 June 2026 to pilot specialist supports for accompanied children and young people in homelessness services who have or are experiencing domestic and family violence.
The pilot is being delivered by Domestic Violence Services Management (DVSM) in Blacktown and Orana Support Service (Orana) in Dubbo via an interdisciplinary team of 5 specialist workers in each location. The service commenced on 1 January 2023.
The pilot targets Children and young people who are:
- Accompanied by an adult (i.e., parent, older sibling, family member, kin etc.) who is receiving support from the DVSM or Orana specialist homelessness services AND
- Experiencing, or are at risk of, homelessness AND
- Experiencing, or who have experienced, domestic and family violence.
Support may be provided in an office or refuge setting or in an outreach setting depending on the capacity of the service provider and the needs of the children and young person. The ACSS will be implemented in a way that is person-centred and trauma informed.
This service also includes a brokerage component which aims to enhance opportunities for children and young people to achieve the goals in their case plans.
Pilot objectives
The objectives of the ACSS pilot are to:
- Identify accompanied children and young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and who have experienced domestic and family violence who need personalised support.
- Support children and young people to achieve their goals and manage trauma associated with homelessness and a domestic and family violence experience.
- Improve the short-, medium- and long-term outcomes of children and young people, ensure they are connected to ongoing support after the ACSS and are connected to family and community.
- Explore whether access to targeted, trauma informed individual case plans enable children to be more resilient and better able to meet psychosocial, educational and wellbeing milestones.
For more information email dfvprograms@dcj.nsw.gov.au.