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September 2024 update
The YDAS Human Rights Advocacy Service is now open again and accepting new referrals. Before contacting us about your issue, please read through all the information below to make sure we are the right service for you.
We are also offering advocacy consultations to those who work with disabled young people who may be experiencing a human rights issue.
YDAS advocates, Kelsey and Natalie, explain how we can support you.
YDAS works with disabled young people in Victoria to make sure you can speak up and are being treated fairly.
Our free individual advocacy service is for disabled young people, aged 12 to 25, in Victoria.
Our advocacy team works directly with young people to provide advice and support.
Click here to meet our advocacy team.
Watch Nat and Kelsey share the key values of YDAS advocates
Left to right: Miya (Head of YDAS), Heather (Human Rights Advocacy Manager), Nat (Intake Officer), Kelsey (Human Rights Advocate)
How can an advocate support me?
Our advocacy team can:
- Support you with problems you have that might be impacting your Human Rights.
- Help you to understand what options you have in addressing your issue
- Support you to take steps to address the issue you are experiencing
- Speak with the people in your life or involved in the issue you are experiencing, to try to help you resolve it.
- Explain your rights to you
- Work with you for a short time on specific goals related to resolving the issue you are experiencing
- Refer you to other services if we are unable to support you
Our advocacy team cannot:
- Give legal advice or assistance
- Provide counselling
- Provide case management or support work
- Help with issues that are not related to your rights
- Make choices for you
- Give financial advice
- Help you with an NDIS or Centrelink application
- Help with or represent you at Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) Cases
- Give you long-term assistance
- Work with young people who do not have a disability
- Work with young people who do not live in Victoria
- Work with people who are not aged between 12 to 25
YDAS is not a A service that can support you right away when you need urgent help or support.crisis service. Call 000 if you are unsafe and need help right away.
Click here for a list of organisations and services that can support you if YDAS cannot.
What should I do before contacting YDAS?
Before contacting our advocacy team you need to:
1. Check if you can access YDAS Advocacy Serive
- You need to be aged between 12 and 25
- You need to live in Victoria
- You need to identify as having a A disability can include being Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing; being Blind or having low-vision, being Neurodivergent, having a mental health issue or illness and having a health condition. disability *
*You can be diagnosed or un-diagnosed.
2. Have an idea of how our advocacy team can support you.
You will need to explain the issue you are facing and what you might like an Advocates help with. For example, you might think you are being treated unfairly and want an advocate to help you with this.
3. If you are a parent or guardian of a young person needing advocacy, make sure you talk to them before contacting YDAS.
We want disabled young people to have as much control over their own lives as possible. Generally, we only provide advocacy if the young person has given us permission.
4. Keep records of the issue.
If you are facing an issue that you would like our advocacy team to support you with, it is helpful for us to see communication about the issue. Keeping records like emails helps our advocacy team understand the issue and how we can support you.
Get advocacy through YDAS
Click here to contact our advocacy team and learn more about getting advocacy through YDAS.