our priorities for change
our policy priorities
As the peak body for young people and the youth sector in South Australia, YACSA plays a central role in representing the interests, perspectives and lived experiences of young people and the youth sector to government, policymakers and other key decision-makers. Our advocacy is grounded in ongoing consultation, sector engagement, research, and direct dialogue across diverse communities, ensuring our work reflects both emerging trends and persistent systemic challenges.
Through this sustained engagement, YACSA has identified key priority issues that significantly impact the wellbeing, opportunities and life outcomes of young people in South Australia while also impacting the sector that supports them. These priorities guide our strategic advocacy and inform our efforts to influence policy, program design and service delivery across government and community sectors.
In focusing our advocacy on these priority areas, we aim to drive structural and systemic change that strengthens support systems and meaningfully improves the quality of young people’s lives across the state.
youth housing
and homelessness
Access to safe and secure housing is a fundamental human right critical to the health, wellbeing, education, employment and participation of young people in South Australia.
Many young people, particularly those in regional areas and those transitioning from care, face significant barriers to accessing safe, secure and affordable housing.
Youth homelessness is driven by a myriad of factors including the housing crisis, domestic and family violence and relationship breakdown, yet the unique experiences of young people experiencing homelessness are often overlooked in policy responses.
The private rental market is the primary way young people access housing, and they face additional barries to rising rents, such as having limited rental history and age based discrimination. Young people are also underrepresented in public and social housing,
Investment into a range of housing options, youth-specific responses, wrap-around and family support services and education will not only improve outcomes for young people, but also deliver significant long-term social and economic benefits for the broader community.
mental health
and wellbeing
Young people in South Australia are experiencing declining wellbeing and increasing rates of mental ill health, driven by factors such as housing insecurity, cost-of-living pressures, precarious employment, lasting impacts of the pandemic and a lack of influence over decisions affecting their lives. Despite growing demand for support, access to mental health services remains limited due to long waitlists, high costs, service gaps and insufficient early intervention options, particularly in regional areas.
Psychosocial support plays a critical role in helping young people manage stress, maintain wellbeing and access assistance before issues escalate into crisis. Many mental health challenges emerge during adolescence but often go unrecognised or untreated due to stigma, limited mental health education and inadequate support pathways. Prevention and early intervention are essential to improving long-term outcomes – but significant shortages of non-clinical, community-based support services tailored to young people leave many without the access to support.
Increased, and sustained, government investment in prevention and early intervention programs, a spectrum of youth-specific support services, school and community-based mental health education is critical to building a stronger, more responsive system of support for young people.
education and
employment pathways
Young people in South Australia are navigating a critical transition to independence in the face of increasing economic, educational and social challenges unique to their generation. These challenges are often more significant for young women, those living in regional and remote areas, and young people with limited family or financial support.
Young people are disproportionately impacted by economic uncertainty, insecure employment, rising living costs and unequal access to education and training opportunities. Greater investment is needed in initiatives that support young people to successfully navigate their transition to independence and achieve their full potential. This includes civics and citizenship education that fosters strengthened democratic participation, civic responsibility and social inclusion.
youth participation
Young people have a right to participate in all decision-making processes that affect their lives. But young South Australians, particularly those from diverse, marginalised, regional and rural communities, remain underrepresented in these rooms.
While many young people are motivated to contribute to their communities and influence policy, opportunities for participation are often inconsistent, tokenistic or inaccessible. As a result, policies, programs and services can fail to reflect the lived experiences, needs and priorities of young people. Young people often feel unheard by government institutions, especially as experiences of financial pressures, housing stress, declining wellbeing and a lack of self-determination have compounded as lowered trust in decision-making systems.
Meaningful youth participation requires more than just consultation. Young people should be recognised as experts in their own lives and actively involved in designing, implementing and evaluating decisions. Co-designed solutions that genuinely centre young people lead to better outcomes, build civic engagement and empower young people to develop independence, leadership, and agency.
the youth sector
The South Australian youth sector is essential infrastructure for supporting young people before the challenges they experience escalate into crisis. Across metropolitan, regional and remote communities youth services provide holistic support covering housing, education, employment, mental health, community connection and participation. Delivering prevention, early intervention and crisis responses, the sector plays a critical role in improving outcomes for young people while reducing demand on costly systems such as justice and emergency health services.
Despite its importance, the sector faces mounting pressure with growing demand for support outpacing resourcing and young people presenting with increasingly complex needs. Youth workers often report acting as de facto mental health practitioners, without professional development to provide the support young people need, while demand for services stretches services and providers beyond capacity.
The sector needs sustainable funding that recognises the essential infrastructure it provides, and to be supported through workforce development that strengthens capacity, flexibility and collaboration. Long term investment will enable the sector’s continued delivery responsive, holistic support and improve outcomes for young people in South Australia.
youth justice
South Australia’s youth justice system is legislated to support the rehabilitation, wellbeing and reintegration of young people who engage in offending behaviour. Incarceration of a young person should only be used as a last resort, and for the shortest possible time, with their human rights always upheld.
Evidence shows engagement with the youth justice system, especially incarceration, causes lasting harm – particularly for young people with experiences of trauma, disability or child protection involvement. Incarceration, even for a short period, is strongly associated with increased risks of mental ill health, homelessness, disengagement from education and future offending behaviour. Aboriginal children and young people and those involved in the child protection system also remain disproportionately represented in the incarcerated population.
However, significant concerns remain about the effectiveness, cost and human rights impacts of South Australia’s current system. Concerns remain about the high use of remand incarceration, South Australia’s mandatory youth treatment orders, operations at Adelaide Youth Training Centre, and a lack of compliance with international human rights law.
A rights-based, whole-of-government approach to youth justice is needed, prioritising prevention, early intervention, diversion, rehabilitation and community-based alternatives to incarceration. Alongside raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years, increased investment earlier in the system improves outcomes for young people and their families while supporting long-term community safety.