Our early intervention programs


New Way Forward

The New Way Forward program is a SydWest initiative funded through the Federal Governments’ Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) and delivered within the ‘A Place To Go’ multiagency framework in partnership with government and non-government agencies. New Way Forward provides intensive individual and group-based support to young people who are:

  • Engaged in, or at-risk of becoming engaged in, criminal and/or anti-social behaviour
  • Are 10-17 years of age
  • Are living in Blacktown and Penrith LGA’s
  • Are from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, with a special focus on those from African and Pacifika backgrounds


The program is funded through Multicultural NSW and is implemented in partnership with the A Place to Go multi-agency initiative.

The objectives of the program are to:

  • provide alternative pathways for young people who are at risk of being engaged in criminal and/or anti-social behaviour
  • enable young people at-risk to break patterns of recidivism and cyclical engagement in criminal activity
  • help young people at-risk to develop life skills to prevent them from becoming entrenched in the criminal justice system, to promote inclusion, build community resilience and strengthen family support structures.


Case Management

We provide holistic, culturally sensitive and long-term case management that supports young people to set and achieve strengths-based goals and increases their protective factors so they can thrive. We advocate for our young people and their families across systems to ensure they have access to the assistance and opportunities they deserve.



How do I get in touch?

For more information, or to refer a young person:

Call 02 9621 6633 and ask to speak to a member of the New Way Forward team   

or email info@sydwestms.org.au 

or complete our online enquiry form    

Group Work

We deliver several group interventions in community, custodial settings and schools both independently and in partnership with other agencies. Our group interventions are needs based and tailored to the specific cohort but typically have a therapeutic, empowerment and skill building focus. Some of our recent group work initiatives are:

Understanding Me, Understanding You – designed and delivered by SydWest and A Place To Go, the program is based on principles from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) frameworks. It supports participants to develop their awareness of self, implement emotional regulation strategies and change behavior and cognition through committing to taking value guided action. 

Name, Narrate, Navigate (NNN) – an initiative of the University of Newcastle, NNN is a preventative-intervention program for young people who are at risk of, or already using, violence. The program acknowledges that many young people who use violence, have also been victims of interpersonal, family and/or systemic and structural violence, abuse, and neglect. NNN works with young people to ‘name, narrate and navigate’ violence in their lives through tailored psycho-education and skill development activities.

Creating Chances ‘Champions’ and ‘Future Pathways’ Programs – We have partnered with Creating Chances to fund and deliver their ‘Champions’ and ‘Future Pathways’ programs in a range of schools across Blacktown and Penrith LGA’s for Terms 2, 3 and 4 of 2026. These programs support young people to develop social and emotional skills, build resilience and confidence, strengthen peer and community connections, and enhance leadership and employability capabilities.