Agency Analysis – Cameron Samy (S00208125)

Reporting
YSAS (Youth Support Advocacy Service) is a non-profit organisation
that provides a safe environment for young people to express their
feelings and talk about their issues. YSAS deals with range of problems
including alcohol, drugs, metal health, homelessness and domestic
violence. Their aim is towards enabling these disadvantaged young
people with the resources that they require to develop strong and
fulfilling lives. Although YSAS was originally funded as a Secondary
Syringe program, they are now a group dedicated to helping people
between the ages of 12 to 21 get a head start.

The organisation offers resources such as a free meals program, bathroom

and washing facilities, a supervised recovery space, free health clinic and
a relaxation space. All of which are highly beneficial to the wellbeing of
clients, according to the Department of communities, child safety and
disability services (2016).

This particular clinic located in Abbotsford, can see as many as 36 clients

in a day. This statistic displays the amount of disadvantaged young
people that rely on the services of YSAS to keep moving forward. In
saying this, YSAS is an organisation based all over the state, meaning
that this client total will be immensely increased when taking into
account every YSAS clinic in Victoria.

Responding
YSAS looks to have a very positive outlook towards the wellbeing of
their clients. YSAS’s role is not to change their clients, but rather
enhance their skills and capabilities to sustain a better life. The young
clients at YSAS generally believe that they don’t need to work, as the
universe will provide for them; which is quite a sad reality. However,
YSAS gives these clients the opportunity to learn whilst improving their
life. One the key aspects toward this that YSAS offers, is a program for
the clients that assists them with creating a resume. This is a fantastic
way of encouraging them to apply for jobs, and show them that they can
make a contribution to the world. The AITSL (2011), states that to
understand the way students learn, we must expand their understandings
using research and workplace knowledge; as identified in Standard 1.

Upon entry to this facility, it is evident that the YSAS team strive to make
the environment as welcoming as possible for anyone. Whilst they deliver
the basic needs of each client, each centre has a ‘recreational’ feel. This
comprises a Television, Xbox, Pool table, Internet and musical
instruments. Some of these elements could also be incorporated within
schools designed specially for those who are have difficulties with
engagement.

Relating
Throughout my education, I have experienced various programs in
relation to drug and alcohol abuse embedded in the curriculum. An
example of this would be the Life Education Van, which promotes
making healthy life choices. “Engaging students in drug education
activities assists them to make healthy and safe choices, identify risky
situations, and develop strategies to prepare them for challenging
situations” (Victoria State Government, 2017, p 1). The activities
provided in the Life Education Van were highly beneficial to my
development, as they reflect on the decisions that I have made to this day.

This links with the work that YSAS does, only Life Education looks
towards helping children make healthy choices later on in life. Whereas
YSAS provide activities and resources to young people who have made
the wrong choices and want to improve their lives. Life Education
Australia (2018) states that, “Our program is a springboard to your
school's curriculum, helping to empower children to make safer and
healthy choices.” (p. 1). This particular quote outlines Life Educations
aim, indicating it as a future tense form of YSAS’s objectives.

Reasoning
According to Davey (2018), in Australia “For every 10,000 people, 50
are homeless, and more than 43,500 homeless people are under 25”
(p. 1). This statistic shows how vital it is to provide platforms such as
YSAS to the general public. With regard to this topic, a significant
feature of YSAS includes a free meals program as mentioned previously.
The free health clinic is also crucial to the organisation for the wellbeing
of each client, especially during the event of an overdose. Each staff
member at YSAS has a duty of care. A common example of this at YSAS
is if a client goes to the bathroom for an extensive period of time. In this
situation, a staff member must knock on the door and receive a response
from the client. If there is no response, the staff member has the
obligation to force entry regardless of the circumstances.

At first glance, the community may frown upon programs similar to

YSAS, as they can be viewed as encouraging the use of drugs. Dolan et al
(2005), states that there is not any sufficient evidence that proves this.
However by allowing clients to use drugs on the premises, this will
engage them within the program, which will then occupy them with other
interests. Thus decreasing the use percentage of illicit drugs in society. In
conclusion, using this strategy will decrease the figures of illicit drug use
within Australia.

Reconstructing
To summarise this reflection YSAS is an organisation looking to improve
the younger generation whilst helping the community. Both primary and
secondary schools can use various key strategies that YSAS offers to its
clients. Some of which might include relaxation areas in schools and
incorporating the use of counsellors for student finding it hard to engage
with school.

Primary schools should be incorporating healthy living programs within

the curriculum to prepare the student for the world that they are being
exposed to. At the same time, secondary schools need to promote
organisations such as YSAS to provide platforms for their students that
are in need of support. The features in this platform will be specially
designed for those going through domestic violence, drugs/alcohol abuse,
homelessness and mental heath issues.

In saying this, confidentiality is another aspect that must be taken into

thorough consideration when integrating these programs. The idea of this
aspect is that the student will be able to develop trusting relationships
with their school and organisation whilst keeping their information
private.

Agency Visit Evidence:

References
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011).
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Australia

Davey, M. (2018, 14th March ). The Guardian. [Weblog]. Retrieved 22

April 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-
news/2018/mar/14/homelessness-in-australia-up-14-in-five-years-
abs-says

Department of communities, child safety and disability services.

(2016). Youth Support Services (3rd ed.). Australia: Queensland
Government.

Dolan, K. MacDonald, M., Silins, E. & Topp, L. (2005). Needle and

syringe programs: A review of the evidence. Canberra: Australian
Government Department of Health and Ageing.

Life Education Australia. (2018). Retrieved 22 April, 2018, from

https://www.lifeeducation.org.au

Victoria state government (2017). Education and Training. Retrieved

22 April, 2018, from
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresource
s/discipline/physed/Pages/drugeducation.aspx?Redirect=1

ASSESSMENT TASK 2 RUBRIC NAME: Cameron Samy

AGENCY/SERVICE REFLECTION

OVERALL GRADE:

Criteria High Distinction Distinction Credit Pass Fail

Exceptional Excellent Good explicit,
quality and explicit, accurate and
extremely accurate, factual
meticulous, thoughtful and consideration of
insightful Satisfactory
accurate, all layers of
consideration of reflection. consideration of
insightful
all layers of layers of
consideration of
reflection, reflection.
all layers of Reporting &
reflection. Responding
Reporting & Reporting &
Responding
Reporting & A well thought
Responding Responding through
A satisfactory
personal
descriptive
An outstanding An excellent response to the Limited, poor
account of a
critical analysis analysis of situation, or
situation,
of personal personal incident, or inappropriate
incident, or
response to the response to the issue consideration
issue and some
situation, situation, of layers of
general
incident, or incident, or Relating reflection.
responses and
Layers of issue issue
observations
reflection A sound made Reporting A
Relating Relating analysis of the very limited
(Bain, relationship Relating descriptive
Ballantyne, Drawing on Drawing on between current account of a
Mills & relationship relationship personal or situation,
Some beginning
Lester, between current between current theoretical incident, or
connections
cited in personal or personal or understandings issue.
made
Ryan & theoretical theoretical and the
Ryan, 2012) situation, Limited, poor
Reasoning
understandings understandings incident, or or
and the and the issue. inappropriate
situation, situation, Some responding,
incident, or incident, or Reasoning consideration of relating,
issue in issue in different reasoning,
innovative ways. insightful ways. Strong analysis perspectives reconstructing
with beginning
of significant
analysis
Reasoning Reasoning factors
relationship to
underlying the
research
An exploration, An excellent incident or issue
interrogation or exploration, and
Reconstructing
explanation of interrogation or consideration of
the situation, explanation of different
the situation, perspectives. Satisfactory
reframing for
Incident and
Reconstructing future practice
deeply reflective incident, or
of or issue with issue
deep analysis of Strong links to
multiple Reconstructing implications for
 perspectives in explicit, future practice
and connections accurate and supported well
insightful ways by theory.
Reconstructing relating to
Drawing a innovative
conclusion and future practice
developing a
future action
plan based upon
a reasoned

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Melbourne, Semester 1, 2018

understanding of
the situation,
incident, or
issue; Engaging
with innovative
directions within
the task
Exceptional
quality and
Excellent
extremely
explicit, accurate
meticulous,
and insightful
accurate, Good explicit,
use, in
insightful use in accurate and
significant ways,
significant ways factual use in Fails to use
to support
to support higher significant ways. sources
reflection. Very Explicitly
level reflection. Good explicitly, poor
well considered used.
High level connections to and/or limited
relevant and Generally
selection of unit readings, selection,
recent selection, appropriate
relevant and AITSL inaccurate
including well- selection
recent literature, Professional and/or
considered and
including Standards for inappropriate
connections to satisfactory
insightful Teachers, reference to
unit readings, connections
Sources/ connections to consideration of sources. Poor,
AITSL to unit
literature unit readings, key policies limited or no
Professional readings,
AITSL relating to the connections to
Standards for AITSL
Professional service/agency, unit readings,
Teachers, Professional
Standards for recent academic AITSL
extensive Standards
Teachers, deep journal articles Professional
synthesis of key for Teachers,
analysis key and Standards for
policies relating and some
policies relating valid/supported Teachers and
to the relevant
to the web-based current policies
service/agency, policies.
service/agency, material. relating to
recent academic
high quality Appropriate service/agency.
journal articles
recent academic relevant and
and
journal articles recent selection.
valid/supported
and
web-based
valid/supported
material.
web- based
material.
 Adheres well to
Appropriate Poor academic
Outstandingly Excellently the conventions
academic writing.
crafted academic crafted academic of academic
writing. Uses Research
writing. Draws on writing. Draws on writing. Draws
a good range support very
a range of very a range of on a wide range
of credible limited and not
credible and credible and of credible,
Academic research, credible. Barely
current research current research mostly recent
writing & including uses readings
throughout to throughout to research to
Referencing readings, to provided and
support and support and support key
support most does not link
extend analysis. extend analysis. ideas and uses
key points. research with
APA referencing APA referencing APA format
Fairly good points being
correct correct correctly both
use of APA made. Does not
throughout. throughout. within and at the
format. use APA format.
end of the work.
APPROPRIATE EVIDENCE OF AGENCY VISIT INCLUDED? YES NO