Page 3132 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011
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The ACT Greens were also pleased that an additional $110,000 has been put towards the existing $90,000 which provides Care and Protection with funds to assist young people in their transition towards independence. We know that there is the transitioning to independent living allowance, the TILA, that is available federally. But it is important to provide young people with access to extended financial assistance so that they are not disadvantaged because they have been in the care of the state.
There is $1.7 million over four years to support children in kinship care and their carers. We have some concerns about the area of kinship care. There seems to be some division within the community about what the needs of kinship carers are, what kinship carers want and what government has chosen to purchase and deliver.
Friday, 1 July 2011
MS HUNTER: At the end of the day, this whole area feels very piecemeal and we feel there is unrest and unhappiness within this part of the community. The ACT Greens believe we need to find a collegiate way forward that is inclusive of all kinship carers and provides supports to them that address the issues and the needs that they have.
We are eagerly awaiting the outcomes of the Bimberi and youth justice services inquiry and the diversionary framework discussion and note that $3.9 million has been committed over four years to enhance services for young people at the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre, improve the after-hours response capacity for young people at risk of remand and divert them from custody. We are pleased to see this additional funding for the operating costs of Bimberi to ensure that staffing ratios are adequate and that the intended rehabilitation and training programs can be run from the centre into the future. We will keep a very close eye on that.
This allocation of funding will prove vitally important in moving the long overdue reform in the area of youth justice. We need to ensure that police, courts and services have options that provide real opportunities for diversion from the justice system. We know that those young people who come into contact with the justice system have poorer outcomes, and that is why it is so important to divert them.
I am personally pleased to see the inclusion of the child death review committee in this year’s budget. There is currently a two-year commitment of $325,000 for the establishment of the CDRC. Of course this is a committee that will look at the circumstances and trends of children and young people deaths and look at how we can ensure the safety of our children and young people.
The Community Services capital works spending is in place to upgrade security at Bimberi. This project aims to reduce risk to staff and residents of injury or escape. The works will include limiting access to the roof and extending energised panels across the rear rooftops.
We understand the inclusion of this spending and as our primary focus we believe that ensuring the working and living environments for staff and young people at Bimberi is paramount. We have had staff members receive injuries while at work and certainly some young people have put themselves at risk of harm during the previous year.
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