Sir David Martin Foundation - Helping young people in crisis

Dean was very young when he first came to South West Youth Services. He had left school in Year 8 because of his behavioural problems. He had grown up in a family full of violence, mental health problems and substance abuse.

To try to escape the problems he was facing at home, he commenced using alcohol and drugs at an early age. He turned to crime to get money for drugs and alcohol and had become entrenched in this unhealthy lifestyle.

Without education or vocational training, he could never escape. Once Dean was referred to South West Youth Services he began a series of programs aimed at supporting and encouraging him.

Counselling was one of those programs as well as an education program called DRAW (Developing Reading And Writing). From here Dean could begin to set more ambitious goals.

Dean is now 18 and is attending TAFE three days a week as he completes a foundations course on construction. Dean no longer uses drugs or alcohol and has not been in trouble with the police for over a year.