Children and Families Tripartite Forum | Communiqué from 19 November 2018 | Youth Detention Special Meeting

The Children and Families Tripartite Forum (Tripartite Forum) held a special meeting to discuss Youth Detention on 19 November 2018. In the meeting, the Tripartite Forum considered the incident in the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre on Tuesday, 6 November 2018.

The Children and Families Tripartite Forum also considered detailed information about the characteristics of the young people in detention including their history and assessed needs.

The Tripartite Forum acknowledged the work in progress and for the need to stay the course on the long-term commitments to reforming the youth justice system. The Tripartite forum identified a number of opportunities for improvement, including:

• building on efforts to engage with Aboriginal organisations, leaders and families to directly support Aboriginal children in the youth justice system;
• improving assessment of young people’s needs and ensuring specialist support for those with diagnosed needs; and
• continuing to improve the amenities for girls and ensuring that there are also meaningful programs for them to engage in.

The Tripartite forum also discussed alternative models of youth justice that focus on accountability and youth development. The forum agreed that the alternative, region-based, models had merit and should be further considered in the Northern Territory.

The Tripartite forum acknowledged the challenges that have been experienced by our community, the progress so far, and supported the overall direction being taken.

Download the Communiqué
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