Youth Advocacy Centre

What Youth Advocacy Centre does

Youth Advocacy Centre Inc (YAC) is an incorporated association and registered charity headquartered in South Brisbane, Queensland, founded in June 1981 by Father Wally Dethlefs and a group of lawyers and citizens concerned about children as young as 10 appearing in court without legal representation. It operates as one of Australia's first multidisciplinary community legal and social welfare organizations, delivering free, confidential and voluntary services to young people aged 10-18 in South East Queensland who are involved in or at risk of involvement with youth justice, child protection, or homelessness. The organization employs between 11 and 50 staff across its South Brisbane headquarters and a regional office on the Sunshine Coast.

YAC's core service portfolio spans Legal Support, Bail Support (including the Bail Response Program with its Community Connector early intervention), Youth Accommodation Support, Family Support, Youth Court Assistance at Children's Courts, and the Positive Moves housing transition program funded by Brisbane City Council. Complementary offerings include Community Legal Education, the 'Laying Down the Law' youth worker training (delivered both in-person and as an online five-module course), the 'Going to Court' animated resource, the Youth Ambassador Program, Orange Papers policy publications, and a TikTok-based youth rights channel. The underlying 'platform' is a coordinated human service model rather than software: solicitors, social workers and youth workers operate in an integrated case management structure, supported by a website, learning management system, and content/communications assets.

Revenue is generated through a mix of public, philanthropic and fee-for-service streams. Government grants, primarily via the National Partnership on Legal Assistance Services (Commonwealth and State/Territory jointly), form the core funding base, supplemented by philanthropic grants from Lady Bowen Trust, Presentation Sisters Queensland, Hand Heart Pocket and Brisbane City Council, public donations, and fee-for-service training (AUD $1,815 for half-day, $3,375 for one-day, and $5,525 for two-day 'Laying Down the Law' sessions for up to 15 attendees). Customer segments are threefold: vulnerable young people as primary service recipients; referring organizations (courts, schools, youth agencies, government agencies); and youth workers and educators who purchase training. YAC maintains governance through an annually elected volunteer Management Committee chaired by Damien Atkinson and led by CEO Katherine Hayes, who was appointed in September 2022.

Name

Youth Advocacy Centre

Legal name

Youth Advocacy Centre Inc

Website

https://yac.net.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Youth Advocacy Centre is a Queensland-based non-profit community legal and social welfare organization founded in 1981 that delivers free, multidisciplinary legal, bail, family and accommodation support services to young people aged 10-18 involved in or at risk of involvement with youth justice and child protection systems across South East Queensland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Community Legal and Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

Keywords

• Youth legal services
• Bail support services
• Community legal education
• Family support services
• Youth accommodation support

Headquarters

HQ city

South Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Primary funding through government grants including the National Partnership on Legal Assistance Services (Commonwealth and State/Territory jointly fund legal services), and government funding for Youth Support and Family Support services.
2. Donations: Public donations supporting services for vulnerable children and young people, with specific amounts funding practical support items (birthday cakes, hygiene products, ID documents, sporting fees, school uniforms, personal support hours).
3. Training Services: Fee-for-service training programs including the 'Laying Down the Law' youth worker training course offered in half-day, one-day, and two-day formats for organizations working with young people.
4. Philanthropic Grants: Grants from organizations such as Lady Bowen Trust for accommodation support services and Brisbane City Council for specific programs like Positive Moves and outreach activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Youth Advocacy Centre provides free, multidisciplinary community legal and social welfare services for children and young people aged 10 to 18 in South East Queensland, integrating legal support, bail support, youth accommodation support, family support, and youth court assistance delivered by lawyers, social workers, and youth workers. The organization also delivers community legal education programs and fee-based online training (Laying Down the Law) for youth workers and professionals who work with young people.

Product overview

Youth Advocacy Centre (YAC) is a multidisciplinary community legal and social welfare organization offering a portfolio of integrated services to young people aged 10-18 in South East Queensland. The core service offering combines Legal Support, Bail Support (including the Bail Response Program with its Community Connector early intervention component), Youth Accommodation Support, Family Support, and Youth Court Assistance. Complementing direct service delivery, YAC provides Community Legal Education including the Laying Down the Law training program (available online and in-person), Legal Information Resources covering 25+ topic areas, and policy publications (Orange Papers). Additional programs include the Positive Moves housing transition program and the Youth Ambassador Program for systemic advocacy. All services are free, confidential, and voluntary, reflecting YAC's holistic approach of combining legal and social welfare support within a single integrated model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Advocates for systemic reform reducing overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in youth justice system
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KYC (Knights Youth CoResponder)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYAC's Community Co-Responder program is delivered alongside KYC. This partnership enables coordinated response to support young people in crisis situations, combining YAC's legal and social support expertise with KYC's youth-focused services.
• YETI (Youth Empowered Towards Independence)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYETI is a support agency for young people aged 12-25 in Far North Queensland. YAC collaborates with YETI which employs a multidisciplinary team of teachers, social workers, community development workers, counsellors and psychologists, with strong recruitment from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island backgrounds.
• Pumicestone Indigenous Education & Employment Council (PIEEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYAC's Bribie Island outreach program is delivered in partnership with PIEEC, enabling culturally appropriate services for Indigenous young people in that community.
• QCOSS (Queensland Council of Social Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYAC co-hosted a Youth Justice Roundtable discussion with QCOSS and Queensland Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak Ltd, bringing together community leaders, youth organisations, and reform advocates to push for youth justice reform.
• Queensland Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak Ltd (QATSICPP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in co-hosting Youth Justice Roundtable and ongoing collaboration on systemic reform to address overrepresentation of First Nations young people in the justice system.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Youthlaw: Victorian specialist youth legal centre providing free legal advice, representation, and advocacy to young people. Direct peer in the youth community legal centre category, serving an adjacent Australian state.
• Shopfront Youth Legal Centre: Sydney-based specialist youth legal centre offering free legal services and advocacy to young people aged 10-24. Closely comparable multidisciplinary legal + support model in a different Australian state.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (Qld): Queensland-based First Nations legal service with overlapping client base on youth justice and child protection matters. Direct partner of YAC on policy advocacy and reform work.
• CREATE Foundation: National advocacy organization for children and young people in out-of-home care. Comparable in its advocacy-driven, youth-centered mission and policy reform orientation.
• Tenants Queensland: Queensland community legal centre specializing in tenancy and housing law. Comparable Queensland CLC peer addressing homelessness and accommodation stability — a key YAC service area.
• Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion: Queensland disability advocacy organization with similar legal-aid-plus-support service model and systemic advocacy focus on vulnerable populations.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Aid Queensland: Queensland's statewide legal aid body, the broader incumbent providing legal representation across all matter types. YAC's youth specialist focus complements rather than competes with Legal Aid's generalist remit.
• MacKillop Family Services: Large Australian Catholic agency providing out-of-home care, family services, and youth justice programs. Broader incumbent with overlapping youth/family service lines but a wider service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YACBrisbane
• Facebookfacebook.com/youthadvocacycentre

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Youth Advocacy Centre