BANKSIA
HILL DETENTION CENTRE — TRANSITION SUPPORT
1218. Hon PETER COLLIER to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Corrective Services:
(1) After
juveniles are released from Banksia Hill Detention Centre, are they provided
with any support as they transition back into the community?
(2) If yes to (1), what support is
provided?
(3) If no to (1), why not?
Hon
MATTHEW SWINBOURN replied:
I
thank the member for some notice of the question. The following answer, which
is very long, is based on information provided to me by the Minister for
Corrective Services.
(1) Yes.
(2) The Department of Justice provides release
support, dependent on the manner in which a young person is released—that
is, to freedom, on bail, sentenced to a community-based order or early release
on a supervised release order.
When a young person is released to
freedom, there is no legal remit for continued engagement with the department.
In instances when there have been or continue to be self-harm or suicide
concerns, parents and caregivers are informed both verbally and in writing to
be in early contact with a GP to facilitate a mental health plan, or emergency
services if risk is acute.
Interventions for young people on
bail are short term and focus on stabilising accommodation placements and
behaviours. They also focus on laying groundwork for a potential community-based
outcome. Goals, however, need to be achievable in a short-term window of
opportunity.
Young people who are sentenced from
custody to a community-based order or released on a supervised release order
have an allocated youth justice officer who provides comprehensive
individualised case management addressing all
matters relevant to that particular young person. This can include, but is not limited
to, accommodation, structured recreation, education and vocational pursuits,
mental health and disability supports, alcohol and other drug counselling and
therapeutic programs targeting their offence-specific behaviour.
The Department of Education has youth
transition coordinators who work with education and training services, youth
justice services and the Banksia Hill Detention Centre Education Service, to
research, develop, implement and monitor educational reintegration plans to
support young people to access appropriate pathways to a range of training and
employment options upon release from custody.
The
youth transition coordinators commence working with a young person and youth
justice staff up to six weeks prior to a young person's release
from custody to support and refer the young person to appropriate pathways. In addition, a co-located child protection and
family services case manager provides a conduit between the Department
of Communities, Banksia Hill and youth justice services in terms of case
managing young people in custody or being released from custody who are in the
care of the CEO of the Department of Communities.
A justice liaison officer from the
National Disability Insurance Agency is also co-located at Banksia Hill
Detention Centre, who assists in the reviews of young people in custody to
identify those registered with the NDIS,
updates their justice interface and reviews support plans with the aim to link
youth justice services to address any gaps in service.
(3) Not applicable.
The PRESIDENT: You were not
wrong about the length of that question, member.