Residential Services Model

ITEC Youth delivers a trauma-informed residential care model that provides a structured, stable, and emotionally supportive environment for young people who are unable to live safely with their families.

Wherever possible, ITEC Youth adopts small, consistent teams of workers that mirror the principles of a house parent model of care. This approach emphasises continuity of relationships and stability within the home, ensuring that young people are supported by familiar, trusted adults rather than a revolving roster of workers. By fostering consistent care teams, young people experience a greater sense of security, predictability, and belonging within their residential environment.

This model recognises the value of family-style care, where workers provide not only supervision and safety but also the nurturing, guidance, and everyday support that promote attachment and healing. Through this consistency, ITEC Youth aims to replicate the stability of a home-like environment, reinforcing trauma-informed practice and providing young people with opportunities to build lasting, positive connections that support their recovery and long-term development.

Key features of the Residential Services Model include:

• Safe and Nurturing Homes – Residential sites are designed and maintained as physically and emotionally safe spaces. Young people experience a home environment under the supervision of trusting, skilled, and caring adults who provide structure, stability, and supported access to specialist services;
• Eligibility and Placement – Services are provided for young people aged 12 to under 18 years who require non-family-based out-of-home care, and who have been assessed as having moderate, high, complex, or extreme levels of support needs;
• Workforce Model – Each residential site operates with one (1) caregiver on duty at all times, consisting of a sleepover shift, seven (7) days per week, ensuring continuous supervision, safety, and consistency for young people; and
• Partnerships – ITEC Youth work in partnership with a number of Government and Non-Government agencies to ensure a holistic approach to best practice and positive outcomes for young people.

Grounded in trauma-informed principles and supported by a quality, therapeutically trained workforce, this model ensures that care is delivered by workers who have completed comprehensive mandatory training across therapeutic frameworks, cultural safety, high-risk behaviour management, and reflective practice. This investment in training guarantees that young people are cared for by workers who are not only consistent and culturally competent, but also equipped with the advanced skills required to provide safe, responsive, and healing-focused support and young people are cared for in environments that promote:

• Healing and Recovery – Addressing the impact of trauma through safe, predictable, and supportive relationships;
• Dignity and Respect – Ensuring that every young person feels valued, respected, and included, with their identity, culture, and personal experiences acknowledged and celebrated;
• Belonging and Connection – Creating a genuine sense of home and stability where young people feel they belong, while supporting cultural, community, and family connections where safe and appropriate; and
• Wellbeing and Development – Providing opportunities for young people to learn, grow, and develop the skills necessary to achieve long-term independence and positive life outcomes.

This model reflects ITEC Youth’s commitment to delivering child-centred, trauma-informed, and culturally safe residential care that balances structure with compassion. It is designed to promote not only immediate safety and stability, but also long-term wellbeing, resilience, and hope for the future.

Our House Model

The Our House Model is a specialised residential support program designed to provide consistent, culturally safe, and developmentally appropriate care to young people aged 12 to under 18 years who have been assessed as requiring moderate, high, complex, or extreme support needs. It is grounded in trauma-informed practice and offers a structured, engaging, and therapeutic environment where young people can feel safe, develop personal skills, and progress toward independence.

This model combines enhanced workforce capacity with structured daily routines and meaningful engagement opportunities to ensure that each young person receives holistic, responsive, and tailored support. It promotes healing, cultural connection, and social participation while preparing young people for successful transition to adulthood.

Key features of the Our House Model include:

• Placement Capacity – Provision of up to four (4) places for young people aged 12 to under 18 years assessed as having moderate, high, complex, or extreme support needs at any one time;
• Workforce Model – Capacity to provide 24-hour support, seven days per week, with two workers on duty during the day (16 hours), plus an eight (8) hour sleepover shift and one awake shift to ensure continuous safety, consistency, and therapeutic engagement;
• Cultural Safety – Provision of culturally safe and secure support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, ensuring their cultural identity is respected, their voice is heard, and connections to family and community are actively supported and maintained;
• Education, Training and Employment – Encouragement and support for young people to engage in formal education, training, or employment. Where a young person is not currently engaged, the Program Coordinator ensures participation in educational or vocational activities that promote readiness and re-engagement;
• Day Structure and Reset – Young people are generally required to vacate the property between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm Monday to Friday to enable the property to be reset for placements. Exceptions apply where a young person is unwell or injured, in which case they remain onsite with the support of the Program Coordinator. During this reset period, the two rostered Day Workers are provided with clear goals for the following day. Support focuses on Youth Justice obligations, Child Safety day plan goals, earning or learning, and Transition to Adulthood. Where these are not in place, workers engage young people in meaningful activities and structured programs that encourage participation, skill-building, and community connection; and
• Partnerships – ITEC Youth work in partnership with a number of Government and Non-Government agencies to ensure a holistic approach to best practice and positive outcomes for young people.

The Our House Model represents a high-intensity, culturally safe residential care setting designed to support young people with complex needs through structured routines, therapeutic engagement, and skill-building opportunities.

Safe House (Horn Island) Model

The Safe House Model provides a community-embedded residential care option designed to support young people under the age of 18, with a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. This model is grounded in the principles of cultural safety, connection, and belonging, ensuring that young people are supported in environments that respect and uphold their identity, traditions, and relationships.

Safe Houses are an essential service response in remote and regional communities, offering flexible and culturally responsive residential care that keeps children and young people close to family, community, and Country. By doing so, they provide stability, continuity, and opportunities for young people to remain connected to their cultural roots while receiving the care and support they need.

Key features of the Horn Island Safe House Model include:

• Eligibility – No age preference other than the requirement to be under 18 years old;
• Community Placement – Typically located within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with the express aim of maintaining children and young people’s connection to community, family, and culture;
• Support Needs – Primarily designed to support up to four children and young people with moderate to high behavioural needs, providing structure, safety, and positive role-modelling while maintaining flexibility;
• Workforce Model – Workers are drawn from strong cultural backgrounds, including Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Papua New Guinean communities, ensuring cultural responsiveness and authenticity in daily practice; and
• Partnerships – ITEC Youth work in partnership with a number of Government and Non-Government agencies to ensure a holistic approach to best practice and positive outcomes for young people.

The Safe House Model is more than a residential service, it is a community-led approach to caring for children and young people. By embedding cultural practices into daily routines and engaging workers who reflect the community’s strengths and traditions, Safe Houses create environments that are familiar, nurturing, and respectful of identity.

This model emphasises:

• Cultural Safety – Environments where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people feel safe, valued, and respected, with traditions, languages, and customs actively upheld;
• Connection to Land and Community – Ensuring young people maintain and strengthen their ties to family, kin, Country, and community networks;
• Flexibility – Recognising that every young person and community is unique, with supports tailored to meet individual and cultural needs; and
• Healing and Belonging – Providing stability, relational care, and opportunities for young people to recover from trauma while strengthening their sense of identity, dignity, and belonging.

The Horn Island Safe House Model represents a culturally safe, flexible, and community-driven approach to residential care. By combining the consistency of a small consistent workforce and the leadership of an Aboriginal Program Coordinator, ITEC Youth ensures that young people are supported in ways that are both professionally sound and culturally authentic.

This model affirms ITEC Youth’s commitment to partnering with communities to deliver services that not only keep young people safe but also keep them connected – to family, culture, Country, and the strengths of their community.

Indigenous Engagement Coordinators

The ITEC Youth Indigenous Engagement Coordinators, when working with young people, play a vital role in fostering identity, belonging, and connection to culture, especially for those from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or other culturally diverse backgrounds.

Indigenous Engagement Coordinators will regularly engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in the care of ITEC Youth, to help them explore and connect/strengthen their cultural identity, encourage pride in heritage, traditions, stories, language, and practices, and provide cultural knowledge and context to help young people understand where they come from.

Young people and workers who experience racism, lateral violence, or cultural harm may seek confidential support from the Indigenous Engagement Coordinators, the Aboriginal Team Leader, or any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Program Coordinators. Cultural safety concerns will be taken seriously and addressed through appropriate action and support.

Indigenous Engagement Coordinators will lead or support truth-telling initiatives such as storytelling sessions, cultural excursions, or guest speaker engagements. They will also facilitate reflective practice sessions for workers focused on whiteness, lateral violence, colonial legacies, and decolonisation, where required. These safe learning spaces will foster cultural humility, responsiveness, and improved care practice across all ITEC Youth settings.

This cultural engagement is an essential part of ITEC Youth’s commitment to culturally responsive care, ensuring that young people’s heritage is honoured and supported throughout their care journey.

Indigenous Advisory Board

The Indigenous Advisory Board provides independent cultural guidance, oversight, and decision-making support to ensure that ITEC Group services remain culturally safe, respectful, and accountable to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

The Board’s role is to provide advice and cultural guidance and to support the embedding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural perspectives into governance, operations, and service delivery. It also reviews cultural safety matters referred by Indigenous Engagement Coordinators and workers to ensure culturally appropriate responses and works to ensure that ITEC Group services align with community expectations, legislative frameworks, and cultural protocols. In addition, the Board serves as a reference point for truth-telling, reconciliation, and decolonising practices within the organisation.

Membership of the Indigenous Advisory Board consists of respected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, community leaders, and cultural practitioners with relevant knowledge and expertise. The Board will meet quarterly, or more frequently as required to address emerging matters. The ITEC Youth CEO will be extended an invitation to attend meetings as required, to support collaborative decision-making and leadership accountability.

The Indigenous Advisory Board reports to the ITEC Group Board. Recommendations and decisions of the Advisory Board are to be documented and actioned by ITEC Group leadership. An annual review of the Advisory Board’s impact and effectiveness will be undertaken, with outcomes reported to the ITEC Group Board.

The Indigenous Advisory Board strengthens ITEC Group’s commitment to cultural safety by providing independent cultural guidance, advice, and oversight.

Eligibility

Referrals can be made via Child Safety After Hours Service Centre or Queensland Police Service (QPS).

Certifications & Acknowledgement

Human Services Quality Framework (HSQF) Accredited.

This is an acknowledgement that ITEC Youth receives funding from Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety for the provision of services to children/young people who are in the care of Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety.

ITEC Youth is a proud member of PeakCare, Queensland’s peak body for child and family services.

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