‘ Youth risks in custody’

ALMOST half of the youths in custody known to the Queensland Department of Child Safety were recently being held in Townsville, prompting calls for stronger early intervention strategies.

As at August 23, 2018, there were 39 young people subject to child protection orders being held in custody across the state including 15 in the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre and five in watch houses.

The number of youths in Cleveland with a history of notifications to the department is a significant portion of inmates at the centre, which has been consistently at or around its capacity of 96 beds during 2018.

Burdekin LNP MP Dale Last said given the high risk for youths subject to protection orders the Government should target its resources at very early intervention.

“Put the resources into these younger kids, making sure they’re at school … so that they’re not getting to 13 to 16years- old and they’re out of control,” he said.

“If you can divert these kids from custody there’s clear evidence that you might have a chance of stopping them from being recidivist offenders.

“But at the end of the day, with all the resources the Government is throwing at this, and all the money and extra public service, you have to question where is this money and these resources going; if it’s not going to these kids who need it then you start to understand why it’s such a mess.”

In response to a question on notice, Child Safety, Youth and Women Minister Di Farmer said justice and safety services collaborated to address instances of youth offenders with a history of notifications to her department.

“The young people involved with both Youth Justice and Child Safety tend to be the most vulnerable and have the highest needs due to the significant trauma experienced during said.

“To address the effects of this trauma and the consequential behaviours exhibited by these young people, a collaborative approach is crucial to ensure they are held accountable.”

Ms Farmer said the department developed a case plan for each young person subject to an order.

“If the young person becomes involved with both ( Youth Justice and Child Safety) services, staff work collaboratively to ensure that case plans are cohesive, evidencebased and individualised to the young person,” she said.

“This collective approach ensures the emotional, educations and health needs of the young person are identified and addressed, and that the young person is held accountable for their offending behaviour.”

Ms Farmer said both services exchanged information and conducted joint reviews of young people’s case plans. their childhood,” she