Where young people find safety, belonging and hope.
Haven provides trauma-informed therapeutic residential care for young people aged 10–17 in Mackay, Queensland. We believe every young person deserves a safe place to heal and grow.
About Haven
About Haven
Haven Youth and Family Support Services provides therapeutic residential care for young people aged 10 to 17 who have experienced trauma, abuse or neglect. We operate from Mackay, Queensland, guided by the Hope and Healing Framework and our own Haven Framework of Care. Our homes are staffed 24 hours a day by qualified, trauma-informed practitioners committed to consistency, safety and genuine connection.
Recovery from trauma happens through safe, consistent relationships and a stable, predictable, home-like environment.
[Local indigenous artist — name TBC, Mackay region]
Why Our Care is Therapeutic
Our vision is a future where every young person who has experienced trauma finds safety, belonging and hope in a place that feels like home — and grows toward a brighter future.
Every element of life in a Haven home is designed with therapeutic intent. Our practitioners understand that behaviour communicates unmet need. We respond with curiosity, not consequence. We hold the young person's story with care.
Practice Principles
Safety
Physical, emotional and psychological safety is our first commitment. Young people cannot heal in environments where they do not feel safe.
Trustworthiness
We do what we say. Consistency builds trust. Trust makes healing possible.
Choice
Young people have experienced powerlessness. Offering genuine choice restores agency and dignity.
Collaboration
We work alongside young people, families, Child Safety and community — never in isolation.
Empowerment
Our goal is independence. Every interaction is an opportunity to build capability and confidence.
Cultural Sensitivity
Culture is identity. We honour and celebrate each young person's cultural background as central to their wellbeing.
Our Practice Model
Haven's practice is grounded in three complementary frameworks that together create a coherent, evidence-informed approach to therapeutic care.
Hope and Healing Framework
Queensland's framework for therapeutic residential care — Haven's practice is fully aligned with this state-wide approach.
Positive Behaviour Support
Strength-based, evidence-informed approach to understanding and responding to behaviour with empathy and skill.
Haven Framework of Care
Our own governing practice document — the standard everything in our homes is held to, reviewed annually.
Our Homes
Haven homes are real homes — warm, consistent and structured. Every detail is considered: the furniture, the meals, the routines, the relationships.
Consistent Adults
The same practitioners, the same faces. Young people who have experienced trauma need to know who will be there tomorrow.
Structured Routine
Predictability is therapeutic. Our homes operate on consistent daily rhythms that give young people a sense of safety and control.
Safe Environment
Every home is physically safe, emotionally regulated and free from the chaos that many of our young people have experienced.
Education Support
We work closely with schools and education providers to ensure every young person has access to learning that suits their needs.
Cultural Connection
We actively support connection to family, community, culture and Country as central to identity and healing.
Family Engagement
Where safe and appropriate, we support relationships with family. Connection to kin is part of the healing journey.
Cultural Safety and Identity
Culture and identity are central to a young person's sense of self and to their recovery. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, the five elements of the Child Placement Principle guide our practice.
For every young person, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and those who are LGBTQIA+, we recognise and support their identity, develop a Cultural Support Plan where relevant, and seek guidance from family, community and Elders.
Prevention
The right of a child to be brought up within their own family and community.
Partnership
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations participate in significant decisions, including service design.
Placement
Placement with family, kin or community wherever possible.
Participation
The young person and their family take part in decisions concerning them.
Connection
Support to maintain connection to family, community, culture, Country and language.
Child Safety
Haven is committed to the safety, wellbeing and best interests of every child and young person in our care. We operate under Queensland's Child Safety legislation and are guided by the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
Referring to Haven
Referring to Haven
Haven accepts referrals from Child Safety, the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs, and other statutory authorities. We work collaboratively with referring agencies to ensure each placement is well-matched and well-supported.
Our intake team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Contact our intake team
Careers at Haven
Careers at Haven
We are looking for warm, consistent and skilled practitioners who want to make a genuine difference. Haven offers a therapeutic team environment, clinical supervision, ongoing training in trauma-informed practice and TCI, and 24/7 on-call support.
There is no more important work than showing up consistently for a young person who needs it most.