At Brisbane Youth Service (BYS), we believe every young person deserves to feel safe – at home, in their relationships, and within themselves.
But for many young people we meet, domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV) is already part of their story and one of the leading causes of youth homelessness.
When home isn’t safe, leaving can feel like the only choice.
Without support, young people can quickly end up couch surfing, in unsafe situations, or sleeping rough – putting them at even greater risk of further trauma and exploitation.
That’s why our Safe Relationships programs focus on breaking this cycle of violence and homelessness. Through early intervention, education, and advocacy, we help young people recognise, navigate, and recover from violence and start building safer, healthier futures.
Within this suite of supports, our Youth Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) Advocates play an important role. DFV Advocate Emma* shares more about what this work looks like and why early intervention can change the course of a young person’s life.
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
As a Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) Advocate, no two days are ever the same. I might be responding to a crisis – coordinating with police, hospitals, and other agencies to ensure a young person’s safety. Or I might be meeting with young people to talk about healthy relationships.
We want young people to live fulfilling lives where they feel loved and valued above all else, and having honest, real-world conversations about this is incredibly effective.
I also work alongside other BYS teams to help them identify and manage DFV risks because this is everyone’s responsibility. The more we talk about DFV, the more we can hold each other accountable and build a world that upholds safety for all.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
There is a magical moment with young people when they will choose themselves.
They will choose to put themselves and their needs over the person who has often taken so much from them. When this moment happens, you will see them change their behaviour and really prioritise themselves.
In the journey to healing, this moment may happen multiple times as choosing yourself and putting the work in is the hardest thing anyone could ever do.
I love supporting young people to build a life they want and having a future free of violence, this is probably the first time in their life this has been an option so being their safe person for a part of their journey is an honour that I will never take for granted.
What inspires you about the young people you work with?
Young people are so resilient. I love their energy and the way they see the world.
Having worked in the adult DFV space, I’ve seen how violence can repeat across generations. but with young people, there’s this incredible opportunity to break that cycle.
They’re still shaping who they want to be and what their future looks like.
By intervening early, we can show them what life can look like without violence, and help them develop the skills to build safe, healthy relationships. Talking about this openly, in ways that make sense to them, can spark lifelong change.
Why is this work so important?
Our work is crucial because meaningful intervention now can prevent lifelong dependence on support services.
By supporting young people, we help them not only build healthier relationships but also equip those who are young parents to raise their children with a new perspective on parenting and relationships.
While housing always comes first, helping them develop independence, seek support, and build a life on their own terms is key to their future success and positive engagement with the community.
*Emma’s name and image have been changed to protect her privacy.