Clarence Street is part of the Mater Young Adult Health Centre. Located in South Brisbane, it is a free, confidential service supporting young people to make positive changes to their alcohol and other drug use. 

Please note that our service remains open but with some changes to ensure the safety of our young people and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to our usual services, we have developed a tip sheet for parents and carers supporting young people with alcohol and other drug concerns. You can access the tip sheet for parents and carers here. If you are a young person with substance use concerns, please contact Clarence Street for support and for resources and tip sheets related to COVID-19.

Clarence Street offers a range of programs, including:

  • A day program offering onsite vocational training, therapeutic group work, recreational activities, and support to prepare for work (for young people aged 13 to 25 years).
  • A community team providing specialist youth work to individual young people aged 13 to 25 years in the greater Brisbane area.
  • A residential program supporting young people aged 13 to 21 years to safely withdraw from substances.
  • Extended programs offering intensive outreach and longer-term residential support for young people aged 13 to 17 years.

Clarence Street aims to:

  • Support young people to complete their withdrawal in a safe, comfortable and youth-friendly environment.
  • Deliver evidence-based alcohol and other drug interventions to help young people reduce the risks and harms associated with substance use.
  • Tailor interventions to suit the individual needs of the young person. This includes careful consideration of the young person’s level of motivation, as well as their personal goals, strengths, and support needs.
  • Support young people to connect with other agencies and community services that can provide ongoing support as needed.
  • Work collaboratively with young people to create a tailor-made support plan that promotes their overall health and wellbeing. 
  • Provide comprehensive support to parents, families, carers and other people with whom the young person shares an important relationship.

The team

At Clarence Street, we are fortunate to have a diverse team of people from a range of professional backgrounds, including youth work, nursing, psychiatry, social work, occupational therapy, and psychology. Our team is experienced in working with young people with substance use concerns and is passionate about providing a high standard of care to young people and their families. When we meet a young person, we do our best to match them with a worker with whom they can build a connection. We understand that young people have different needs and preferences (e.g. preference for a female worker) and we are very happy to accommodate young people as best we can.

In addition to our youth work and allied health staff, we are fortunate to have two consumer consultant groups – the Executive Board of Directors (EBOD) and the Family Advisory Group. Comprised of young people and carers with lived experience of substance use difficulties and treatment, our consumer groups share their collective wisdom with the team on a regular basis and play a key role in guiding and shaping Clarence Street’s programs and processes.

Access

Clarence Street is a voluntary program. Getting in touch is easy. Young people can call directly to have a chat or find out more. We also welcome calls from families, as well as health and education professionals, community youth services, and other agencies. If you are interested in finding out more about our service, please give us a call on 07 3163 8400 anytime between 8 am and 4:30 pm Monday to Friday.

Support for families and referrers

We have family support counsellors available to families and significant others while young people are engaged in our programs at Clarence Street.  

Read more about our services for families and carers.

Need help outside hours? For free, anonymous alcohol and other drug support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, call the Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) on 1800 177 833. In the case of an emergency, call 000.

Need help with other issues? Clarence Street works collaboratively with other agencies such as schools, youth services, community organisations, and acute mental health services. If a young person needs help with something outside our scope of practice, we will do our best to connect them with other support services.

To speak to someone urgently

Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14 is a confidential 24hr telephone crisis support service available from a landline, payphone or mobile.

Lifeline Australia

Information for external agencies

For more information, please call 07 3163 8400 or click here to download a copy of our brochure. If you are interested in making a referral for a young person, please click here to download a copy of our referral form. Please note that if you are completing our referral form, consent must be obtained from the young person.  

Contact

Contact the Clarence Street:

 

Location

36-40 Clarence Street
South Brisbane QLD 4101

Getting here

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