Page 3595 - Week 08 - Friday, 24 August 2012
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the magic bullet solution of recruiting from overseas, we have seen that as soon as the agreed time frame is finished quite often workers leave the system and do not return. We need to be looking at what other ways we can make it an attractive and supportive workplace.
The Greens believe the real attraction and retention will occur once leadership is shown that takes the care and protection workforce on a process of change that makes the culture positive and works towards preventing children and families from coming into the system. We believe the development of a more comprehensive workforce development strategy that addresses more than just attraction and retention would also be worth while.
It is welcome to finally see funding allocated to a specific, targeted and evidence-based approach to addressing youth issues in the ACT. I applaud the overall goals and general scope of the strategies contained in the blueprint for youth justice. I acknowledge the efforts and work of the people within the directorate who wrote and put together and supported the process of the blueprint. They did a great job.
It appears that the government has heard the message from stakeholders and the relevant experts, and the blueprint looks to have achieved a better balance between early and tertiary intervention than the care and protection initiatives. While I understand the need for the government to appropriate money for the implementation of the blueprint, it remains to be seen if this is the right allocation of funds. It is somewhat disappointing to see that estimates of recidivism are not expected to drop despite extra funding towards youth justice. Obviously this is an area that we need a bit of a focus on, particularly when we are not talking about huge numbers of young people entering that end of the youth justice system. I am specifically talking about Bimberi but also those young people on community orders.
I also seek assurances that the expert panel will continue to monitor and provide feedback and will be properly and regularly involved in the evaluation processes that are being set up. I will, however, be revisiting the Human Rights Commission’s report. I want to make sure that the blueprint has picked up legislative or policy changes.
I am disappointed that we have not seen the minister bring in changes to the Children and Young People Act during this Assembly relating to strip searches and the use of force. These are two important and outstanding recommendations of the Human Rights Commission report. In fact, I recall that the first audit done of Quamby by the Human Rights Commission raised the issue of strip searches. Quite a bit of work was done and a number of systems were put in place, but we need to keep working on this and get it right, and I would have liked to have seen the minister bring those amendments in.
The CHANCES program provides nationally accredited job-ready training to members of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and it is welcome to see the government supporting the continuation of a grassroots collaborative pilot program. Its success is an example of what happens when unique partnerships with agencies such as the AFP are encouraged. Too often these programs are not resourced beyond 12 months and suffer as a result. The Greens would like to
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