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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 1 Hansard (18 February) . . Page.. 345 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

There are programs for young people who could be at risk. That is terribly important. The safe schools policy framework provides clear support and direction for government school boards, principals and staff. It emphasises a number of positive things which can help alleviate some of the problems that contribute to youth suicide. Indeed, bullying and harassment are reasons that have been identified by some experts as contributing to youth suicide. Recently I launched the booklet "Harassment, it isn't cool", aimed specifically at assisting our high school students, those in Years 7 to 10, where some of the problems can be particularly acute. There are some tried and true strategies to achieve outcomes, such as the coordination of student support services with departmental and interagency activities, reviewing and evaluating student management strategies, support for continuing initiatives to eliminate harassment, such as the one I have mentioned, and reviewing occupational health and safety initiatives.

School counsellors play a very big part. They assist students, parents and teachers with issues that affect a student's educational progress and adjustment. This is to help any student who may be at risk or who may become at risk. The needs addressed include learning difficulties, behaviour management, social skills, family and peer relationships, and personal development. Programs are available in withdrawal units for students who are experiencing various problems. Some of the ones I mentioned in the previous debate are relevant to this debate. The three services which specifically target support for youth at risk are the Youth Connection Youth Work Service, the Canberra Youth Outreach Support Service and the AXYS Youth Health Service.

Also, my department is the lead agency in strategies to strengthen young people's resilience and resourcefulness and enhance their sense of interconnectedness with school, family and community, to strengthen opportunities for parental and family involvement in the support of young people, and to minimise the risk of self-harm for juvenile and young adult detainees.

Mr Speaker, there are a couple of issues of relevance in the Government's response to the report of the Standing Committee on Social Policy following its inquiry into services for children at risk. As a key agency in dealing with children at risk, the Department of Education and Community Services supports the committee's recommendation to maintain, centrally, an overview of the needs of children at risk. The department already spends some $4.5m on student support services and will in addition, in support of this recommendation, develop through consultation with schools a register of students determined to be at risk. The department also supports the standing committee's recommendation on establishing a strategy for the care and treatment of high-risk young people, including the establishment of interagency case management systems. The youth suicide prevention strategy provides a framework for government and non-government service providers to tailor their services to meet the needs of our young people. The services provided in schools and the Children's, Youth and Family Services Bureau are already tailored to meet the needs of young people.

I would like to turn to the elements of the strategy from the broad health area which focus on the prevention of youth suicide. We are in a good position to take a leading role in increasing interagency coordination, enhancing professional networks and participating in training specifically focused on youth and suicide prevention awareness. Under the national youth suicide prevention strategy $100,000 has been provided to the Territory

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