Page 293 - Week 01 - Thursday, 12 February 2015
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responsive. Mpower was able to arrange for David to move into an intensive educational program for young people experiencing difficulties with the traditional school environment. Here David could access one-on-one support with lessons as well as support to build wellbeing and living skills.
Mpower assisted in practical ways as well, such as helping with transport to the program. David responded well to this approach and he has achieved a near-perfect attendance during his participation in the program. His confidence has grown in small but important ways and he can now hold his head up when engaging with figures of authority.
There have been longer term benefits for David. He has continued with his education, achieving formal qualifications at certificate level. His reading, writing and living skills also continue to improve and he is working towards achieving a trade qualification. Importantly, David has not re-offended.
The Bendora transition unit at Bimberi is a further example of how investment in the youth justice system is delivering quality outcomes for young people—in this case those young people leaving custody. Specifically, Bendora has been highly effective at reducing incidents of violence within Bimberi, improving education and health outcomes, and reducing reoffending and returning to custody, as in the case that I just cited.
As I mentioned earlier, outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people involved in the youth justice system are improving. However over-representation remains a concern. A key goal of the blueprint is to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in the youth justice system and reduce rates of detention. We are taking a number of important steps to specifically address this issue.
We are providing staff with strategies and tools to ensure culturally competent practice and we have improved the ability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to engage with young people and their families involved in the system. Three designated positions include a family engagement officer at Bimberi, a transition officer within Bimberi’s Murrumbidgee education and training centre and an engagement and cultural officer within the youth justice case management team.
These positions have boosted our ability to support case management for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in culturally appropriate ways. We have strengthened cultural planning for young people on justice orders, providing young people with the opportunity to develop or retain their connections to family, community and culture.
We have also established the Narrabundah house Indigenous accommodation service. The service provides a residential diversion option for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young men aged 15 to 18 years who are at risk of entering the justice system or who have left custody and are experiencing challenges with education, training and stable accommodation.
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