Page 2669 - Week 09 - Thursday, 9 August 1990
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There is an obvious correlation between homelessness and criminal activity. Burdekin indicates that time spent in a child welfare system, "seems to increase significantly a child's chance of becoming homeless".
Youth workers deal with both young people who may only just be coming to the attention of police and juvenile offenders. Always seeking the best possible outcomes and alternatives for these young people, youth workers asked if I could facilitate a meeting where concerns and common issues could be discussed with police. This meeting was held recently and had a very positive outcome which included a commitment for further communication between the police and the youth centres and youth workers. There was also an undertaking from the police to include some specific training in the ACT Police training course and to have youth workers talk to new recruits about the youth centres and other services and issues relating to young people. The police deal with young people in public areas, particularly on the streets, and they must be able to communicate with them effectively. Youth workers are often dealing with the same young people and a cooperative approach was seen by all present at the meeting as the most appropriate way of dealing with this. Informing the police of initiatives in the community is just one way of resourcing them to find alternatives for young people that they come in contact with.
I will also take a short time to refer to the Kids in Justice report funded by the Law Foundation of New South Wales. The report indicates that youth justice cannot be separated from the social, historical and economic situations in which young people find themselves. Interventions and programs should assist young people to make the transition to responsible adulthood in practical matters such as training, employment and accommodation. The report concludes that a balance must be struck between the rights and responsibilities of young offenders, their families, victims and the community.
As much support as possible needs to be made available to families to enable them to deal with their children who are offending. This is a critical factor in young people staying away from and growing out of crime. At present youth services are at the front line of dealing with the problems which precede youth homelessness, as well as the problems arising from youth homelessness. As the Burdekin report made obvious, it is the coordination of services which is of paramount importance.
I believe the ACT now has a responsible level of resources in this field, though there will be requirements to address the city's expansion in newer areas such as Tuggeranong. The funding made available in response to the Burdekin report has to be carefully targeted if we are to achieve its full value. However, I am sure that this Assembly would agree it would be more useful to enlist the support of existing services to ensure that these funds are used in
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