- New On Track to Thrive pilot program will focus on 5 to 9 year olds
- Initiative aimed at diverting vulnerable children away from the criminal justice system
- Program to be trialled in Perth and Geraldton
A new initiative aimed at diverting vulnerable young children from entering and becoming entrenched in the criminal justice system will be trialled in Perth and Geraldton.
The Cook Government's new On Track to Thrive pilot program will focus on 5 to 9 year old children, who currently receive no response in relation to offending behaviours because they are under the minimum age of criminal responsibility, and fall outside the scope of the criminal justice system.
The Departments of Justice, Communities, Education and Health will join forces to deliver the $7.8million program, which will decrease the likelihood of children engaging in offending behaviour.
Data from the WA Police Force indicates that over half of the most prolific young offenders in Western Australia first come to the attention of the police between the ages of five and nine years old.
Programs that intervene early are effective in addressing the risk factors associated with offending.
The Cook Labor Government is also investing $2.1million in new and expanded bail support services for 10 to 17 year olds in Geraldton and Perth.
The Youth Engagement Program (YEP), operated by the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA, currently provides a culturally secure bail support program for young Aboriginal people in Perth and the Kimberley.
The Cook Government will expand YEP to Geraldton and invest in a new, parallel program targeting non-Aboriginal young people in Perth and Geraldton, to be operated by Legal Aid WA.
This will ensure that young people on bail are provided with support to prevent them from breaching bail conditions or committing other crimes.
The programs use bail as an opportunity to transition young people to services that can support them in the longer term.
As stated by Premier Roger Cook:
"These important initiatives are specifically aimed at preventing vulnerable young Western Australians from entering and becoming entrenched in the criminal justice system.
"Our Government agencies will work together to ensure that every opportunity is taken to intervene in the trajectory of children and young people who are coming into contact with police and the criminal justice system.
"Without a targeted multi-agency response, these children are on track to enter the criminal justice system, hence a culturally appropriate and targeted inter-agency response is essential to change the pathway for these young people."
As stated by Attorney General John Quigley:
"Community safety is paramount and the evidence is clear that children who enter the criminal justice system at a young age have an increased likelihood of offending throughout their life.
"The new pilot program for young vulnerable children and the expansion of bail support programs are further examples of the Cook Labor Government's proactive approach to addressing the early drivers of offending behaviour and preventing downstream youth detention.
"By providing therapeutic, practical interventions that work with the social determinants and drivers of offending behaviour, and by facilitating the provision of intensive, practical supports to children and their families, we can really change the long-term outcomes for our most vulnerable young people."
As stated by Police Minister Paul Papalia:
"We have more police on the beat than ever before in WA and Operation Regional Shield has boosted the number of officers in Geraldton.
"WA Police regularly encounter young people below the age of criminal responsibility and this initiative will divert them away from a lifetime of offending.
"It will also free up officers to focus their time and energy on other duties."
As stated by Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton MLA:
"Our priority is keeping the community safe and the On Track to Thrive pilot will support police and reduce the number of young people from offending in Geraldton.
"Expanding local youth bail support programs will also divert children from further contact with the criminal justice system."
