Last updated on March 12, 2008

Our mission is to make positive differences in the lives of children,youth and families by offering timely intervention and prevention programs regarding alcohol and drug abuse and other at-risk behaviors to all youth and families in the southern portion of the seacoast area in New Hampshire.

Description:
SYS was created in December 2001 as a local not-for-profit juvenile diversion program. As a direct response to an expressed community need for a local prevention and intervention resource, SYS began providing high-quality substance abuse related services for youth and families in the lower seacoast area towns of Hampton, North Hampton, Hampton Falls, South Hampton and Seabrook. Services were, and continue to be, provided in collaboration with local schools, police, courts and other community agencies. Quickly, SYS developed a reputation for utilizing highly skilled individuals, including licensed substance abuse counselors, social workers and other professionals with years of hands-on experience helping youth and families, to deliver their growing array of services.
During the first two (2) years of operation, SYS programs and services were primarily targeted to youth who had exhibited substance abuse behavior, or were engaging in related activities that present a high-risk for substance abuse (e.g., truancy, school discipline problems, delinquency, etc.). This continues to be a major focus of SYS’s prevention and intervention programming. Referrals on youth exhibiting problem behaviors were mostly high-school students referred by schools or police. Initially SYS provided limited services that have become somewhat traditional in the juvenile diversion domain, including substance abuse education, anger management and community service arrangements with some limited support to families and referrals to outside agencies. However, as annual services expanded to over 100 young people and families per year, SYS found many new referrals coming directly from parent/guardians calling for assistance with their children and families. Additionally, as contacts with families increased, so did the SYS commitment and capacity to provide various supports and interventions for family members, such as a parent support group, a young mothers group and increased case management and service coordination on behalf of families.
Over time, SYS has developed a greater insight into the ecological nature of so-called substance abuse issues within the family and the community itself. Thus, in addition to continuing the provision of high-school and office based prevention and intervention services for youth in need of ‘diversion,’ SYS has begun to offer other types of prevention and intervention services. With a growth in service delivery methods, the organization incorporated as the Seacoast Diversion Program became known as Seacoast Youth Services. SYS shifted from being a traditional court diversion program, to offering a broader array of services in response to community needs, working increasingly in cooperation with the schools, the family system and the community-at-large.

History:
The Seacoast Diversion Program, doing business as Seacoast Youth Services (SYS), has been providing substance abuse prevention and related intervention and support services since 2001. SYS was established in response to local community concerns in order to provide timely access to drug and alcohol prevention and intervention services for youth and families of residing in SAU 21 district towns of Hampton, North Hampton, Hampton Falls, South Hampton and Seabrook. With support from the NH DHHS/Division of Public Health Services under this grant initiative, SYS will provide a variety of substance abuse prevention services targeting preschool, middle/junior high and high school students identified at risk by school and other community agency professionals. Through this proposed project, SYS will expand the involvement of existing part-time staff, including services provided by a Licensed Alcohol/Drug Counselor and an experienced case manager/service coordinator. Additionally, SYS will contract with a licensed master’s level supervisor for program consultation and training in the implementation of model prevention programming. This effort will build upon the prevention education and support services SYS has provided in collaboration with the schools, police, courts, mental health and other community agencies. As a member of two (2) emerging collaborating entities, the Rockingham County Youth Coalition and the Lower Seacoast Youth Coalition, SYS will ensure broad community support and involvement in guiding the success of this initiative.

Contact person: Victor Maloney, Director, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (603) 474-3332

Address:

867 Lafayette Rd Seabrook, NH 03874 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.seacoastyouthservices.org

Directions:

While driving South on Route One you will enter Seabrook, NH continue 1/4 of a mile (just beyond cemetary) Seacoast Youth Services is on the right hand side. Seacoast Youth Services (brick building) is located in the Old Dearborn Academy building adjacent to The Church of Christ.   Nearest Bus Stop: Portsmouth, NH, 225 minute walk

Miscellaneous Information

Name of Executive Director (or equivalent) if not listed above:
	Victor Maloney
Type of organization
	Nonprofit 501(c)3
Is your organization a Health and Human Service agency?
	Yes

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