BANKSIA HILL DETENTION CENTRE —
NEURODEVELOPMENTAL IMPAIRMENTS —FOETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER
1220. Hon WILSON TUCKER to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Corrective Services:
I refer to research conducted by the
Telethon Kids Institute in 2017 that found that 89 per cent of young people in
a representative group of Banksia Hill Detention Centre detainees had at least
one form of neurodevelopmental impairment and 36 per cent were diagnosed with
foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
(1) Does the department of
corrective services screen for neurodevelopmental impairment?
(2) If yes to
(1), how many children have been identified as having a neurodevelopmental
impairment, such as FASD, at —
(a) Banksia Hill; and
(b) Casuarina Prison's unit
18?
(3) If no to (1), why not?
Hon
MATTHEW SWINBOURN replied:
I thank the member for some notice
of the question. The following very long answer is also provided to me by the
Minister for Corrective Services.
(1)–(2) A
formal screening instrument is not used, as the diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental
disorder requires more than screening and there are no screening instruments
available that would adequately capture the full range of neurodevelopmental
impairments.
(a) For Banksia
Hill Detention Centre, departmental records indicate that, as at 22 November
2022, there are nine detainees with a confirmed
diagnosis of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, four with a confirmed neurodevelopmental disorder not
otherwise specified, four with a confirmed diagnosis of a communication
disorder, seven with a confirmed cognitive/intellectual disability, four with a
confirmed diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, two with a confirmed
specific learning disorder and one with a confirmed
diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. It is noted that some detainees
have multiple diagnoses. There are currently 19 detainees with a disability
flag notification on the total offender management solutions system.
(b) For unit 18,
department records indicate, as at 22 November 2022, there are four detainees
with a confirmed diagnosis of FASD, three
with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD, two with a confirmed communication disorder and two with a confirmed
intellectual disability. It is noted some detainees have multiple
diagnoses, there are currently seven detainees with a disability flag
notification on TOMS.
(3) The formal
diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders is a specialised task that requires a
range of health and mental health
specialties. For example, to formally diagnose FASD, a paediatrician, speech
pathologist and neuropsychologist all need to complete a battery of
assessments. Corrective Services does not have specialist staff on site to
perform these assessments. The psychological and mental health staff on site
are trained and employed to work with detainees to address risk, adjustment and
criminogenic issues rather than specialist disability needs. Psychological
staff on site at Banksia Hill are able to perform a range of initial
assessments that provide a starting point to indicate whether further
specialised assessment is warranted. Corrective
Services also consults regularly with Department of Communities disability
services staff, who provide specialist advice and training to Corrective
Services staff as required.