Page 4144 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 22 October 2019
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families and the community they are provided with the best opportunity to participate in education and employment and live healthy and happy lives.
I note the minister’s comment that the blueprint is making a real difference in the lives of at-risk young people in Canberra and their families and the community. I am pleased to learn that we are on the right track to achieve the aim of the blueprint, and I am particularly happy to learn that we are lowering the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people involved in the system.
Most young people in the ACT safely navigate their way to adulthood. They get the guidance, support and opportunities they need to prepare for life as an adult. However, for some young people this is not the case. For this small group of young people, early support has a critical role to play. I am looking forward to following the government’s work in this area in the future.
Genuinely supporting young people means more than just reacting when something goes wrong. It requires providing early support for young people, their families, and their communities. When a young person is at risk of interactions with the youth justice system, we do everything we can to divert them from that path. This depends upon us developing and maintaining a system that supports families to stay together and to keep young people engaged with their families, community, education and employment. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. We know that the children who get a good start in life are more likely to do well. We also know that young people who have strong protective factors, such as a supportive family environment, are more likely to do well as they move on to adulthood.
For young people who are at risk of engaging with the youth justice system, intervening at the right time can transform their life and set them on the path to a positive and fulfilling adult life. In instances where young people still enter the youth justice system, we need to wrap around them and support them. The task force on youth justice which the minister established sought to identify cohorts particularly at risk of engagement with the youth justice system, to ensure that they get the specialised support they need. This included young people with disability, young people with mental health concerns, and young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans.
The disability justice strategy will work to improve the experience of people with disability who are involved in the justice system and I am sure it will positively contribute to the youth justice system and Bimberi. The strategy will also help to build a disability-responsive justice system. I look forward to following the progress of these cohorts into the future.
When a young person does end up in Bimberi, everything needs to be done to ensure that the young person receives the support they need, in addition to a good education. The ACT government also supports them to build and maintain family ties and develop the skills they need to live in the community. The Murrumbidgee Education and Training Centre at Bimberi provides a range of educational and vocational programs, including recognised certificate programs, tutoring, and transitional support back into the community through an individualised and tailored approach.
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