Page 3268 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 21 August 2019
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A disability justice reference group was formed to provide advice on key issues and priorities for the strategy to guide the strategy’s development and to build relationships across the sector. The reference group’s membership is made up of people with disability, lived experience of the justice system and representatives of the community sector and government.
I acknowledge the important and critical role that the reference group, led by Dougie Herd, the co-chair of the disability reference group, and Heidi Yates, played in the development of the strategy. Their commitment to the strategy has delivered us a stronger strategy and action plan that will drive change across the ACT.
As a result of this extensive community engagement and internal consultation with relevant ACT government directorates, the first action plan has been developed with the voice of the community at its heart. I
I particularly want to thank the staff who have been involved in this very important work and been absolutely committed to it over the past couple of years.
MS ORR: Minister, what difference is the strategy already making in the lives of people with disability engaged with the justice system?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Orr for the supplementary question. I am pleased to say that the process of developing the disability justice strategy has already raised awareness and brought change in culture and attitude in the ACT.
The strategy’s focus areas will guide this work into the future, from small service delivery improvements through to system-wide changes. The focus areas are information and communication; education and guidance; identification, screening and assessment; better service delivery; and data, research and review.
Through the development of the strategy a series of training courses from other states were piloted. Around 100 people attended these courses and now have a much greater awareness of issues facing people with disability and the justice system. They now know what to look for in determining the needs of people with disability. Justice agencies are already making changes in how they communicate with people with disability by using easy English and plain language. These changes make the system more accessible for everyone.
In this financial year we will see the start of a package of training tools developed and delivered by local advocacy agencies: the first in a series of easy English workshops in September 2019; the commencement of the first two of the practice positions in ACT Policing and Legal Aid; and the implementation of a handbook for child protection staff on how best to support people with disability, as well as a whole range of other workshops and activities to ensure that our systems see and respond to the needs of people with disability.
In a recent conversation with the Director of Public Prosecutions he told me that the DPP are already utilising the work of the strategy to assist them to better meet the
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