Page 1432 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 9 May 2017
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new task force of key youth justice stakeholders to take stock of how far we have come, and to establish the directions we need to take in the second five years of the strategy.
The Bimberi Youth Justice Centre is a critical part of the youth justice system in the ACT. Young people are detained at Bimberi, as a measure of last resort, only when they have been sentenced or remanded by the ACT judicial system. As members would be aware, there has been recent interest from the Assembly and the media in Bimberi and the quality of service provision at the centre. As Minister for Disability, Children and Youth, I take very seriously the duty of care entrusted in the directorate for the most vulnerable young people in our community. Today I wish to outline for the Assembly the quality assurance mechanisms that are in place at Bimberi, the way staff are supported in ensuring high quality standards and the training and support they receive in undertaking their important roles. I will also outline how these quality assurance mechanisms have been embedded since the blueprint for youth justice reforms.
Bimberi was the first youth justice facility in Australia to comply with human rights legislation. Bimberi is a highly regulated environment with strict protocols and procedures in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the young people. As part of its response to recommendations of the ACT Human Rights Commission report into youth justice in 2011, the government undertook a review of all policies, procedures and practice guides and established these within a quality assurance framework. The outcomes of this review are articulated in the Bimberi integrated management system. The Bimberi integrated management system is available in real time on the intranet to all staff at Bimberi and guides all operational practice and compliance. The process of developing, piloting and implementing the system included thorough consultation with staff and stakeholders.
A key outcome of the reforms stemming from the Human Rights report has been the development of new governance structures for Bimberi. The new governance structure articulates how policies and procedures are reviewed regularly, and on an ongoing basis, and how staff are included in the review of policies and procedures. In addition to being a single point of truth for staff on practice and compliance, the Bimberi integrated management system facilitates an ongoing consultation method for staff to provide real-time feedback on all policies and procedures. Staff can suggest changes on the portal as they are actively using it to undertake day-to-day activities.
Formal governance mechanisms are built into the structure of Bimberi and include the Bimberi workplace consultative committee and the Bimberi integrated management system governance group. Both mechanisms support staff engagement in ongoing quality practice improvements. Staff also participate in the daily briefing to ensure any concerns or ideas for appropriate management of young people can be captured.
I am sure that members appreciate the skills required by staff to undertake this important work, and I note the issues raised by the opposition in the most recent sitting period regarding training at Bimberi. As part of the quality improvements after the Human Rights Commission report, all staff were provided with certificate-level formal training through the Canberra Institute of Technology. A training, learning and
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