CORE PRINCIPLES OF OUR WORK

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Beyond Social Services exists to support young people and their families from low-income neighbourhoods to achieve social mobility. We will adopt a whole of society approach where we proactively seek partnerships with the public sector, civil society and the wider community to co-create a climate of social integration wherever we work.

By being an advocate, enabler and motivator, we will rally residents in public rental housing to work closely with other stakeholders in nurturing young people who lead purposeful and meaningful lives, and are contributing members of society.

We will be a leading agency with the capabilities to organise communities that value compassion, social justice and mutual help. We will create a welcoming space to harness goodwill so that everyone can have a stake in the wellbeing of the community.

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Overall Helping Principles:

  • We must not act on behalf of members where there is a potential conflict of interest.
  • It is in the best interests of children to remain with their families or natural support groups.
  • Residential care must always be a short-term arrangement.
  • Help should build on people’s strengths and not simply remedy their weaknesses.
  • A helping relationship is a respectful partnership between us and the people we engage.
  • Social problems are best resolved within the community and we avoid criminal or judicial proceedings where possible.
  • The essence of family life is co-operation, not togetherness.
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Child-Specific Helping Principles

  • Children are not little adults; they are to be treated as children and not by adult standards;
  • Children and their families no matter how challenging have strengths that can be built on to help them develop into well-adjusted individuals and nurturing environments respectively;
  • Challenging behaviours from children are distress signals that their basic needs have not been met and we need to respond appropriately instead of only controlling their problem behaviours;
  • When a child is not cooperative, it is because our system is not working and not because we have a problem child.
  • We will be respectful to children under our care even those who have not yet learned to behave respectfully and impress on them that they in turn have to be responsible for their behaviours.
  • Each day, a child should know some joy and look forward to some joy on the next.