Ted Noffs Foundation

The Ted Noffs Foundation headquarters in Randwick

The Ted Noffs Foundation is a charitable organisation located in Randwick, New South Wales, Australia. Founded as the Wayside Foundation in 1971 in Sydney by the Reverend Ted Noffs and his wife, Margaret, it provides drug and alcohol services for young people in Australia.

It offers initiatives such as two residential treatment centres for adolescents with drug and alcohol problems, adolescent life management, continuing care, family and adolescent counselling, Indigenous Australians-specific counselling, an early intervention/educational project, and a number of social enterprises including "op shops".

History

The organisation was born out of its predecessor, The Wayside Foundation, which was established by the Reverend Ted Noffs in 1971 and renamed The Ted Noffs Foundation in 1992 to recognise the work of its founder. As early as 1969 Noffs had written, 'To the traditional hazards that adolescents have to face … separation from the family unit, finding a job, seeking a new area of accommodation, finding meaning and purpose in life, there must be added the new one of overcoming the trauma of exposure to drugs.' Since that time the organisation has expanded considerably, establishing a leading role in drug and alcohol services in Australia.

The 1960s

In 1964, Reverend Noffs, together with his wife Margaret, opened the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross at a time when the area was fast becoming a magnet for disaffected youth, the home of the red light district, illegal gambling and drug culture. At that time, it was only a single room with a dozen chairs in a block of flats at 29 Hughes Street, Potts Point. Within a few years of his arrival, Noffs had transformed it into a chapel, coffee shop, drop-in and community resource centre. It was the first office of the Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs in 1964.

The Wayside Chapel began confronting the social issues that beset the area. A crisis centre opened in 1965 to deal with the growing number of suicide attempts, drug addicts and overdoses occurring in the Cross. This was followed in 1967 by a Drug Referral Centre, the first in Australia.

More conventional church activities such as weddings and Sunday services were also carried out and the Wayside Chapel became one of the most popular wedding venues in Sydney. By the end of the decade, it had already cemented its place in the fabric of Sydney society.

The 1970s

An increase in hard drug use around the streets of Kings Cross in the 1970s saw Noffs go against the church by championing acceptance, prevention and harm-minimisation over punishment. The Wayside Chapel became a hub for the community and provided social events for those who were marginalised due to addiction or living outside of social norms. Determined to do something, Ted and his team expanded programs to increase crisis support and reach out to homeless people and the many old, sick and disabled people living in poverty in the local area.

In 1971, Ted and Margaret Noffs founded the Wayside Foundation, a charitable organisation dedicated to providing a range of prevention and treatment services to the most vulnerable in society including drug-affected young people.

As demand for support grew, so did Wayside. The flat next door to 29 Hughes Street was acquired and services were expanded. Seeing a need to help children understand the risks of drug taking, Ted and his wife Margaret developed the Life Education Centre in the late 1970s to educate young people about health issues and making good life choices including the risks of drug use. The first class was held at Wayside and was well received.

The 1980s

Thousands of weddings and naming ceremonies were conducted by Ted Noffs at Wayside, across Sydney and interstate. The outreach work to the young people, disadvantaged, homeless and drug addicted residents of the Cross continued with the establishment of the Shepherd of the Streets program.

In March 1987, Ted Noffs suffered a stroke and was unable to return to work. Wife Margaret and son Wesley assumed leadership roles and assured that Ted’s work and legacy would be maintained.

Despite Ted’s illness, the Wayside Chapel, with Margaret at the helm, continued to support people in need. The crisis centre was receiving some 2000 calls a month and thousands more visited the Chapel to find acceptance and judgment-free assistance.

The 1990s

Following Ted's stroke, Wesley Noffs and his wife Amanda took on increasing leadership roles with the Wayside Foundation. In 1992, the Wayside Foundation was renamed the Ted Noffs Foundation in honour of Ted’s life’s work. After eight years of incapacitation, Reverend Ted Noffs died on 6 April 1995.

Following extensive research commissioned by the NSW Health Department, in 1995, Wesley and Amanda establish the Program for Adolescent Life Management (PALM) as Australia’s first residential drug treatment program for young people.

In 1996, an early intervention focused non-residential (out-clients) program was established for young people with drug and/or alcohol related issues.

Wesley Noffs was recognised for his pioneering work in the field of youth drug treatment by his appointment to the position of Chairman of the NSW Drug Offensive Council in 1994 and to the Australian National Council on Drugs in 1997.

Amanda Noffs created the first free legal aid service (ASK) for young people. She also served on the boards of many non-government organisations and was an Official Visitor to Juvenile Detention Centres in NSW.

2000s

In 2000, a second residential treatment service was opened at Watson in the ACT. This provided much easier access to treatment for young people residing in Canberra and the NSW South Coast. Soon after, in 2002, an Adolescent Drug Withdrawal Unit (detoxification service) attached to the Watson facility was established.

Concerned that there was little support for young people who had completed their residential treatment and returned to the community, Noffs launched a continuing care program. Known as Continuing Adolescent Life Management (CALM), the service began in 2004 and provided up to five years of follow-up for former PALM residents.

In the mid-2000s, further out-client counselling services were commenced in Mount Druitt, Sydney and the ACT. These programs were open to any young person in the community in need of assistance with drug and alcohol or mental health issues.

Noffs established its first "Street University" in Liverpool, Sydney in 2008. This youth facility offers a range of creative, vocational and therapeutic programs to engage young people and provide pathways to drug, crime and mental-health focused services.

2010s

A second Street University was established at Mt Druitt providing much needed support to the thousands of disadvantaged young people in the Western Sydney region.

In 2014, the NSW Government awarded Noffs multi-purpose youth homelessness funding under the Going Home, Staying Home reforms. This enabled the development of the Noffs Youth Homelessness Service which meant that, for the first time, both crisis and supported accommodation could be provided to young homeless people or those at risk of becoming so. This service also delivers ongoing counselling and case management to the young people that it houses. The Queensland Department of Health funded Noffs to establish a further three Street Universities at Logan, Southport and Caboolture in South East Queensland. The same year, Wesley and Amanda Noffs retired from senior management roles within the Ted Noffs Foundation.

Senator Jacqui Lambie introduced a private member's bill in 2015 that proposed empowering parents to force their children into drug rehabilitation programs after she revealed her own son was struggling with methamphetamine addiction. The Ted Noffs Foundation publicly opposed the legislation, arguing that the relationship between adolescents and their parents was critical to the success of treatment, and that coercion would undermine the healing process. CEO Matt Noffs published op-ed pieces in major national newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald, criticising Lambie's proposed approach.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported in 2016 that the Ted Noffs Foundation had received donations from The Coca-Cola Company. Matt Noffs defended the donations, explaining that it was a one off, $10,000 grant in support of a Street Health program in 2014, and since that time they had learned more about the beverage industry and drug-like health effects of sugar.

During the decade, the foundation began advocating for pill testing at music festivals as a harm reduction strategy. Formal talks were announced in 2017, with the ACT Government considering allowing a legal trial in partnership with the Ted Noffs Foundation at the Spilt Milk festival. In Australian first trial at the Canberra leg of the 2018 Groovin' the Moo festival, the Ted Noffs Foundation announced that a consortium of harm reduction advocates had facilitated the testing of 85 samples at the festival, with two found to be potentially lethal.

2020s

By 2020, Noffs had opened its eighth Street University in Penrith

The Ted Noffs Foundation received $1.4 million from the ACT Government in 2022 to upgrade the Canberra facility, in support of legislative changes to address addiction as a health issue rather than a criminal one.

In 2026, the Queensland Government announced it had partnered with the foundation to deliver a new one to three week residential program for youth aged 8-17 showing signs of anti-social and criminal behaviours. The camps are held at Doonan on the Sunshine Coast as part of the Crisafulli government's youth justice reforms.

Services

The organisation runs programs that include:

The Street University

The Street Universities create safer communities by providing opportunities for disadvantaged young people. They are non-residential treatment centres based throughout NSW, ACT and QLD to help young people aged 12–25 who have drug, crime and mental health related issues. Each centre is unique and provides opportunities for young people to engage in workshops ranging from music to coding. Evidence-based counselling is offered to help young people reduce their drug use, involvement in crime and improve their mental health and wellbeing.

A recent study by UNSW of The Street University over a period of time showed that, not only did the program effectively engage at-risk young people, but also significantly reduced drug use and psychological distress and notably improved overall wellbeing.

PALM (Program for Adolescent Life Management).

PALM is a three-month residential treatment program for young people (aged 14–18) with diagnosed substance dependency. Operating as a Therapeutic Community, the three month program provides a holistic, intensive, multi-disciplinary, residential treatment program staffed by professionals specifically trained in working through trauma, challenging behaviours and complex needs. The program offers counselling, family support, group work, vocational/ educational modules, living skills and recreational activities.

CALM (Adolescent Continuing Care)

The CALM program offers a range of community-based therapeutic services including individual and family counselling, life skills development and educational and vocational programs. A key component of CALM is the use of “Facebook” to maintain open communication with clients and provide ongoing support as well as information and resources on health and lifestyle issues. CALM also serves as the aftercare module for clients who have participated in the PALM residential program.

There are two CALM locations, one in NSW (Randwick) and the other in ACT (Watson).

Noffs Youth Homelessness Service

Noffs partners with other organisations in the South Eastern Sydney and Sydney Districts to provide specialist homelessness services. Strategies target young people exiting our of home care, or with complex needs. YHS is accessible to those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, with a particular focus on Aboriginal youth.

General Drug and Mental Health Counselling (Getting it Together Scheme)

All Ted Noffs Foundation facilities offer drug and alcohol and mental health counselling services to young people and their families.

First Australians Counselling (Getting it Together Scheme)

This First Australians-specific program operates in Western Sydney and provides an early intervention service, one-to-one counselling and facilitates small group workshops.

The program uses a range of practical methods such as fishing, bushwalking, sports and swimming activities to engage and build trust with Indigenous young people. It uses this therapeutic relationship as a basis for addressing issues they would normally be reluctant to discuss.

Homelessness Support (Take Hold)

Take Hold has three components: mentoring, life skills and social enterprise. The attraction of volunteers to act as mentors is still showing strong expansion indicating the level of support from the Canberra community for the program.

Op Shops

The Ted Noffs Foundation operates 10 Op Shops in Sydney, Australia. All funds raised from the shops are directed to frontline programs. These shops are staffed by over 200 volunteers who each year donate more than 18,000 work hours to support services for disadvantaged young Australians.

Partnerships

Ted Noffs Foundation partners with Caretakers Cottage, a South Eastern Sydney-based youth homelessness non-governmental organisation. The partnership commenced as a response to the New South Wales Government "Going Home Staying Home" reforms, first initiated under then Minister for Family and Community Services (FaCS), Pru Goward. Ted Noffs and Caretakers Cottage jointly tendered for a multi-purpose youth homelessness funding under the Going Home Staying Home reforms. The partnership allowed for the full implementation of the reform along with the elements of previous tenders. The partnership has enabled Ted Noffs to provide crisis accommodation with the added focus of drug & alcohol and lifestyle issues.

Chronology of the Organisation's Development

• 1992- Title of organisation changed from Wayside Foundation to The Ted Noffs Foundation Inc., which then tends to be referred to more commonly as 'Ted Noffs' or simply 'Noffs'.
• 1994- Ted Noffs and NDARC (National Drug and Alcohol Centre) obtain funding from the NSW Health Department to undertake a research project to determine best practicein adolescent drug treatment and to design a new treatment program to be implemented by The Ted Noffs Foundation Inc.

• 1994- CEO Wesley Noffs is appointed chairman of the Drug Offensive Council of the NSW Health Department.
• 1995- PALM (Sydney) opens, the first of the PALM (Program for Adolescent Life Management) residential treatment centres.
• 1996- Noffs consults with key service providers to establish a non-residential (out clients) program for young people with substance abuse problems, in order to incorporate an evidence-based 'early intervention' component. Funding is negotiated with Morgan Banks for the first three years.
• 1999- Noffs presents key findings of the non-residential 'out client' model at the NSW Drug Summit. Recommendations are made to implement the organisation's Schools Program along these parameters.
• 2000- PALM West (Parramatta) opens.
• 2000- PALM ACT opened by Governor General Sir William Deane in Watson.
• 2001- PALM Coffs Harbour opened by the Minister of Juvenile Justice.
• 2001- Launch of ASK!, a free legal advice service for youth, in partnership with the legal firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques.
• 2002- ADWU (Adolescent Drug Withdrawal Unit) opened by Chief Minister in ACT.
• 2002- PALM Dubbo begins operation, opened by Carmel Tebbutt.
• 2002- Implementation of the Wollongong Schools Program, supported by BHP Billiton.
• 2002- Implementation of the Western Sydney Schools Program, supported by the Telstra Foundation.
• 2003- Launch of the Ted Noffs Institute, a specialised institute that delivers training and development to the AOD (alcohol and other drugs) and non-AOD sectors.
• 2003- A mentoring program for PALM Dubbo residents, providing indigenous youth in Western NSW with positive role models and support to consolidate positive gains made at PALM Dubbo.
• 2003- Implementation of the Central Coast Schools Program.
• 2004- Newcastle Schools Program (NSW)is opened at TAFE campus.
• 2004- Implementation of Continuing Care program for PALM East and West residents.
• 2017 - Wesley and Mandy Noffs retire from staff roles.
• 2017 - Wesley and Mandy Noffs nominated for Board membership.

References

This article "Ted Noffs Foundation" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Ted Noffs Foundation. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

---