Page 1180 - Week 04 - Thursday, 26 March 2015
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The basics package provides intensive support for two weeks prior to release and six weeks after release for those requiring it. This package is being delivered by St Vincent de Paul. St Vincent de Paul has been a terrific partner in the delivery of extended through-care, but one of the great strengths of this program has been the extent of community agency engagement. No fewer than 112 organisations have had some degree of active involvement in the delivery of extended through-care. For some agencies this has been in assisting just one client who had need of their services. For others, such as Directions ACT, it has meant quite significant engagement.
The agencies have ranged from commonwealth agencies such as the Department of Human Services to ACT government bodies such as the CIT and major charitable organisations and service deliverers such as the Salvation Army and to local community agencies such as Tuggeranong community services. The agencies I have mentioned are no more or less important than all the others that have been involved. The key message is that extended through-care was developed as a joint community-government initiative and it remains so in terms of its delivery.
Perhaps the best way to illustrate how extended through-care is going is to tell the stories of a number of clients who have benefited from the program. The following stories are those of real people, with their identity details changed to protect their privacy.
Des is an Aboriginal man in his early 40s. He has an extensive criminal history, had never been gainfully employed and was considered at high risk of re-offending. He did, however, actively engage in the extended through-care program, particularly for his health needs and in terms of job readiness. He enrolled and completed several pre-employment programs, including a number of certificate II and III courses. He was able to reconnect with family, particularly with his son, with the assistance of a community service provider. He completed his 12-month post-custody good behaviour order. This was the first time he had ever successfully completed a community supervision order. While he has now completed his engagement in extended through-care, he has remained working with the through-care partner services.
Marly is a woman in her 30s. She has an extensive criminal history and alcohol and drug issues dating back more than 10 years. Marly has engaged very regularly with Directions ACT and has managed to remain drug free since her release. She has attended all scheduled probation and parole appointments. Under extended through-care Marly was assigned to a women’s support service as her lead agency, as she had confidence in them based on past experience. They have provided her with significant ongoing personal assistance through monthly appointments and regular follow-up phone calls. They have also managed to get her focused on future goals and shepherded her through a serious long-term health issue, which has also given her hope for a better future.
At this stage, we cannot guarantee that either Des or Marly will not offend again but we can see that since they entered extended through-care their prospects for rehabilitation have lifted and they have made considerable progress. We are seeing
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