The Wattle Project – supporting adolescents using violence at home

Berry Street’s Wattle Project operates in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. We work therapeutically with adolescents who are using violence in their home.

We are funded by Family Safety Victoria and are part of the Take Two trauma-recovery service.

Who can access this service?

The program is free and available to families:

• with young people aged 12 to 17 years who are using violence at home
• living in Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Merri-bek (formerly Moreland), Nillumbik, Whittlesea or Yarra local government areas.

The program will prioritise young people who:

• live with a single female caregiver or parent
• are living with younger children
• are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless or involved with the youth justice system because of their use of family violence.

Program goals

The Wattle Project uses a trauma-informed approach to support adolescents and their families to:

• reduce the severity or completely stop the young person’s use of violence
• build or repair the young person’s positive relationships with parents, siblings, other family, community and peers
• improve safety and stability for all family members
• improve emotional health and wellbeing for the young person
• improve parenting capacity
• reduce family stress, anxiety, guilt and shame.

What to expect

The clinician will come and work with you and your family. They’ll keep your safety front of mind while working with you.

The program provides support so we can reduce the number of young people using violence becoming adults who continue to use violence.

How to access services

To access support for yourself or your family please contact us.

Phone 03 9450 4700
Email thewattleproject@berrystreet.org.au

Organisational referrals

Before making a referral to the program, professionals can contact the program to arrange a secondary consult.

Phone 03 9450 4700
Email thewattleproject@berrystreet.org.au

Other support available

In the northern region of Melbourne, Berry Street also provides:

• support for adults impacted by family violence
• support for children impacted by family violence
• Take Two - the statewide trauma-recovery service for infants, children and young people
• other child and family support services.