BEROS
About BEROS
24/7 Support for Self-Placing Young People
The Brisbane Emergency Response Outreach Service (BEROS) – is a consortium between Community Living Association (lead organisation) and Micah Projects Inc. BEROS provide support to self-placing young people aged 12-18 who are under the care of the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety in the Brisbane, Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast regions.
Self-placing is a contested term as it assumes the young person is at fault or that the young person chose to leave their “approved” placement. Self-placing can look like; a young person leaving foster, residential or kinship care to stay with friends, family, couch surf or sleep rough.
BEROS also often engages with young people who are still connected to a placement but are regularly absent from placement. We work alongside the young person their Child Safety Officer and placement to keep them connected to their placement and support them to safely return.
BEROS operates 365 days and aims to provide 24/7 support to young people.
Resources
Support Information & referrals
BEROS CASE MANAGEMENT
Monday to Friday 9am- 5pm
Working alongside young people, Child Safety, and other key stakeholders (both formal and informal) to connect young people to safe and stable housing, increase safety and stability and support young people to access resources and achieve identified goals and engage with other appropriate services. This can look like support to access Transition to Adulthood funding and services, support to attend appointments, psychoeducation around safety planning and harm minimisation, offer an “extra set of hands” to Child Safety Officers and other stakeholders. Attend stakeholder meetings and provide meaningful advocacy for young people.
BEROS Street to Home
Operates 7 nights a week 5pm- midnight
Our dedicated team engages in assertive outreach to areas known as “hotspots” where young people frequent and sleep rough. They also respond to child safety after hours referrals, providing transports for young people back to placement, or safe self-placing options, respond to young people in crisis, and provide wellbeing checks and the provision of practical support such as phone credit, meals, grocery shops and go-card top ups. Street to Home can also keep an eye out for young people who have been reported as missing where capacity allows.
BEROS Overnight Support
Operates 7 nights a week across 3 houses, 1 house in each region. Each house sleeps up to 2 young people for 2 consecutive nights (exceptions made on weekends & public holidays)
BEROS provide overnight support for up to 2 consecutive nights (exceptions made on weekends and public holidays) in one of our 3 houses (1 house in each region). Each house can sleep up to 2 young people who are self-placing. The BEROS houses provide a safe and calm environment for young people to have respite from their self-placing arrangements, or as an emergency option if their placement has broken down due to self-placing. Young people will be supported by overnight support workers who can provide practical and case work support. They can also support young people to engage with the case management team upon handover the following day.
For urgent referrals:
Anyone can make a referral, including Child Safety, other services, young people or community members.
Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm
Contact Team Leader Toni Sumner: 0447 385 199
or
After 5pm
Contact BEROS Street to Home: 07 3036 4444
To complete a referral form, please use the button below or scan the QR code:
