Aboriginal support for young people
A printable document containing all of the information about the following Youth Justice Koori initiatives can be found on the Youth Justice Koori Programs page.
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (April 1991) highlighted both the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the youth and adult justice systems, and the accelerated rate of progress through the youth justice system experienced by many young Aboriginal people. The findings included the need 'to devise strategies designed to reduce the rate at which young Aboriginal people are involved in the welfare and criminal justice systems'. The Department of Human Services has been actively putting this recommendation into practice.
Koori Youth Justice Program
The Koori Youth Justice Program was developed in 1992 in response to the findings of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (April 1991) and now operates in all eight Department of Human Services regions. Koori Youth Justice Workers are located in three metropolitan Melbourne and 11 rural locations as well as the three Youth Justice custodial centres.
The Koori Youth Justice Program employs Koori Youth Justice Workers to provide access for young Aboriginal offenders to appropriate role models and culturally sensitive support, advocacy and casework. The program targets young people at risk of offending, clients on community-based and custodial orders.
The Koori Youth Justice Program is operated in the community mainly by local Aboriginal agencies. Koori people are employed by Youth Justice Custodial Services to work with and support young Aboriginal people in the Youth Justice custodial centres.The program aims to prevent offending or re-offending behaviour by ensuring that young Aboriginal people are connected to their families and communities and are provided with access to the supports and services they require.
All young Aboriginal people are offered the opportunity to have an Aboriginal Cultural Support PlanU, to have a community representative present at their client assessment and planning meeting and when appropriate, at subsequent Client Service Plan Reviews.
Koori Intensive Bail Support Program
The Koori Intensive Bail Support Program is for young people from the adult justice system and the Children's Court (on deferral of sentence status) who are at high risk of breaching bail and/or re-offending and are deemed likely to be remanded in custody.
Koori Early School Leavers and Youth Employment Program
The Koori Early School Leavers and Youth Education Program is an initiative designed to divert young people from the youth justice system by focusing on the key risk factors for young offenders, particularly lack of engagement with school or other learningand employment opportunities.
The Koori Pre and Post Release Program
The Koori Pre and Post Release Program is made up of three components:
- the Koori Statewide Coordinator
- Koori Intensive Support Practitioners
- the delivery of cultural programs in the Youth Justice custodial centres.
The Koori Statewide Coordinator provides coordination across the Youth Justice program to ensure effective pre and post release services to young Aboriginal people in custody are in place as part of pre release planning.
The Koori Intensive Support Practitioner (Post Release) is a specialist role and provides intensive and innovative culturally based case-management support to young Aboriginal people being released from Youth Justice custodial centres.
The delivery of cultural programs is tailored to meet the requirements of the demographics of each centre.
Health and safety of young people in custody
Consistent with the findings of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody a range of activities has been initiated to improve the health and safety of all young people while in custody. Initiatives implemented include:
- Bedroom modification in Youth Justice centres to minimise the risk of suicide and injury
- Provision of additional resuscitation equipment for all Youth Justice centres
- Ongoing training for staff in first aid, resuscitation and safe restraint techniques
- Improved standards for the supervision of young people in custody
- Training for staff in assessing and dealing with young people who are at risk of suicide or self-harm.
In addition, medical services have been upgraded in all Youth Justice Centres to include:
- Creation of full-time nursing positions
- Expanded psychiatric services
- Introduction of peer education programs for HIV/AIDS and drug and alcohol issues in all Youth Justice centres
- Drug and alcohol counsellors.
Aboriginal Cultural Support Plans
Young Aboriginal people have the opportunity to have an Aboriginal Cultural Support Plan to ensure their connection to their community, to enhance their sense of belonging to community and cultural supports to assist in diverting them from the youth justice system.
The role of Youth Justice units
Youth Justice units are at the front line of diverting young Aboriginal people from inappropriate entry into the youth justice system. In recent years Youth Justice units have undertaken a range of initiatives to reduce the number of young Aboriginal people re-entering the youth justice system. These include:
- Implementation of Aboriginal Cultural Support Plans
- Partnership with the Department of Justice to implement the Childrens Koori Court
- Recruitment of Koori Intensive Bail Support Practitioners
- Recruitment of Koori Intensive Post Release Support Practitioners
- Recruitment of a Koori Statewide Coordinator Pre and Post Release
- Secondary consultation with the Youth Justice Court Advice Service to ensure that adult clients have their cultural need met
- Development of community-based programs, specifically for young Aboriginal offenders, which take into account cultural needs.
Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement
The Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement is a joint initiative developed by the Department of Justice, Department of Human Services, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (now defunct), the Victorian Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee and the Koori community.
The Agreement was developed as a strategic response to the 1991 Recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the 1997 National Ministerial Summit on Indigenous Deaths in Custody to:
- Address the ongoing issue of Aboriginal over-representation within all levels of the criminal justice system.
- Improve Aboriginal access to justice-related services.
- Promote greater awareness in the Aboriginal community of their civil, legal and political rights.
A core principle of the Agreement is maximising participation of the Koori community in the design, development, delivery and implementation of all justice policies and programs that impact on the Koori community.
Training
Cultural awareness training is provided to Department of Human Services staff working with young Aboriginal people.
Future directions
The Department of Human Services is committed to the reduction of Aboriginal representation in the youth justice system. A number of strategies have employed to achieve this reduction, including:
- continuing to support and strengthen programs designed to reduce the rate at which young Aboriginal people are involved in the youth justice system
- strengthening ties with the Aboriginal community and organisations.
Related resources
- Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement
- Yannabil Youth Justice Koori Visitors Program
- Youth Justice Koori programs
- Aboriginal Cultural Competence Framework 2008
- ATSI Cultural Support Plan Guide 2005
- Building Better Partnerships Communications Guide 2006
- Overview of Policies and Programs
- Indigenous Policy Framework
- What We Know
