Sharon’s story: the Embedded Youth Outreach Program

When Sharon O’Hehir heads out with a police officer on an evening shift with the Embedded Youth Outreach Program (EYOP), she embraces the unpredictability. “For most people that would freak them out, but I’ve always loved change and the unexpected,” the EYOP Team Leader says.

Every night, an EYOP worker accompanies a police officer to meet young people aged 10-24 who have encountered police. The young people can be victims, offenders, witnesses, or vulnerable youth. “Probably the most common job for us is a young person’s been arrested and they’re in the cells or an interview room, and we’ll go and talk to them,” she explains.

YSAS delivers two EYOP programs in partnership with Victoria Police—one in Dandenong and another around Werribee. When meeting young people, youth workers conduct an assessment using the bespoke EYOP screener (developed by Victoria Police) based on the Risk-Need-Responsivity Model. The model examines eight criminogenic risk factors, including antisocial behaviour, substance use, family issues, and educational disengagement.

“We assess the young person to see which of those factors are applicable, and what referrals would help address those factors,” Sharon says. “If the young person’s bored and hasn’t got any activities to do, then we do a referral to some sort of recreational option. Or if they’re not in school, we might do a referral to an agency that’ll help bring them back into education.”

The most crucial aspect of Sharon’s role is establishing meaningful connections. “Sometimes we talk about everything but what’s going on just to develop that connection,” she notes.

“It’s all those skills in listening and hearing what’s happening.”

A key strength of the EYOP model is the face-to-face connection, often during moments of crisis. When young people are referred to programs without this personal interaction, they often don’t engage. “Whereas with EYOP, you’ve sat there face to face with the young person, and they will take our calls when we follow up the next day.”

Sharon believes it’s beneficial for young people to have a non-police presence when arrested. “Just not being a police officer is de-escalating the situation, because we are not wearing a uniform,” she says. She says she’s learnt valuable skills from police officers experienced in working with vulnerable youth. “So we’ve learnt from them, and they learn from us with our youth worker skills.”

She recalls meeting a young person who was arrested on their 18th birthday. “They were crying and really distressed about it,” Sharon remembers. “And I said ‘this can be the last time you’re here… this is an opportunity to sort all that stuff out and to make a decision to move forward’.”

After offering advice about handling their court appearance, Sharon was delighted when the young man excitedly shared his positive outcome.  “I was at work the next day and he came running up the stairs, he was really happy to tell me what had happened,” she says.

Sharon says the negative stereotypes about young offenders are mostly wrong.

“The majority of kids are really wanting a different life,” she emphasises. “They want to do pro-social things and fit in and get along with their family, and achieve things.”

She considers it a privilege to have potentially life-changing conversations with young people during difficult times. “What I feel most privileged about is meeting young people on what could be one of the worst days of their lives, and being able to create some change for them, to really address some of the things that have created their situation.”