sentenced youth boot camp

Sentenced youth boot campTender information session

Cairns 29 August 2012

Outline of session

This presentation will cover the following:• Background• Program objectives• Target group• Referral pathway• Features of service delivery• Service delivery responsibilities • Requirements for funding eligibility• Key budget areas• Key dates/milestones

Background

• The Queensland Government made an election commitment as part of its Safer Streets Crime Action Plan to trial boot camps for young people.

Program development• review of international literature• Ministerial Round Table• written submissions• meetings with existing boot camp service providers.

Background

Key messages from literature

Research has demonstrated that youth boot camps will be most effective if they:• provide structure, discipline and physical activity• allow for personal development and self-esteem

building through physical activities• address the causes of crime• provide ongoing support to young people after they

return to the community.

Background

Key messages from consultation• responsive to needs of young people• underpinned by integrated case management framework• involve aftercare and mentoring• involve family members• be evidence-based• reflect the specific needs to Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander young people…

Background

Key messages from consultation continued…• limit time young people are removed from the community• target young people before they become entrenched in

the criminal justice system• respond to the specific needs of females• exclude young people who may place participants at risk• be evaluated.

Background

Two youth boot camp models developed:

• Early Intervention Youth Boot Camp (EIYBC)• Two year trial at Gold Coast involving 40 participants• Targeting young people before they are entrenched in the

criminal justice system.

• Sentenced Youth Boot Camp (SYBC)• Two year trial at Cairns involving 40 participants• Targeting young people facing a detention sentence.

Objectives of SYBC

• provide a consequence for offending behaviour• reduce rates of re-offending• develop discipline and respect• engage/re-engage in education, training and/or

employment• strengthen and maintain family relationships• increase positive engagement with communities• strengthen cultural identity and connection to

communities• improve the health and well-being• increase access to positive recreational activities• improve personal, social and life skills.

Target groupand location

• Young offenders aged 13–17 years at direct risk of being sentenced to a period of detention.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people will make up a significant proportion of the target group.

• Cairns local government area (including Cairns, Mareeba, Innisfail and Atherton).

Target group

Key issues common to the target group:• poor parental monitoring and supervision• family conflict leading to homelessness• association and identification with peers with anti-social

attitudes• dependency on illegal drugs and/or alcohol• pro-criminal attitudes and beliefs• medium to long-term disengagement from education,

training and/or employment• high risk of re-offending.

Referral pathway

• The government will introduce a new sentencing option by way of amendments to the Youth Justice Act 1992 to support the trial of the SYBC.

• The aim of this sentencing option will be to divert young offenders from detention.

• The Cairns Youth Justice Service will work with the SYBC provider to assess possible referrals prior to sentence.

• Trial target: 20 young people per year.

Features of service delivery

Program phases• residential• community supervision• mentoring.

Residential• Young people will attend a boot camp residential facility

for the first month of their youth justice order. • This is where the SYBC structured day will commence.• The structured day includes participation in a number of

program components 8:30am – 5pm every week day.


Conditions of the residential • 24 hour, 7 day per week supervision and curfew• daily room inspections • domestic duties such as meal preparation, laundry and

cleaning.

Residential capacity: five young people at a time.


Community supervision• After the completion of the one month residential phase, the young

person will return to their community. • The structured day and supervision will continue in the community

for the remainder of the young person’s youth justice order.

Mentoring• Introduced during residential phase and continues during

community supervision phase.• Option of continuing a voluntary mentoring relationship after the

completion of their youth justice order.


All program components will be delivered across the residential and community supervision phases.

Program components:• intensive physical activity/experiential learning• intensive family support• offence focussed programs• education, training and employment• health services• community reparation• mentoring.


Intensive physical activity/experiential learningPurpose• Instil discipline in the young person, enhance their

physical health and enable the identification of the causes of the young person’s offending.

What will be delivered?• Challenging physical activities and experiential learning

in outdoor settings including fitness training, rope/obstacle courses, overnight hikes and rock climbing.


Intensive family support

Purpose• Strengthen the young person’s family relationships and

parent’s capacity to supervise and support their child.

What will be delivered?• Multi-systemic family skilling program shown to be

effective in the promotion of supervision, discipline, and respectful communication between young people and their families.


Offence focussed programs

Purpose• Identify and address behaviours linked to the young

person’s involvement in crime.

What will be delivered?• Evidence-based cognitive behavioural programs -

Aggression Replacement Training (ART) and Changing Habits and Reaching Targets (CHART) by Youth Justice Services.


Education, training and employment

Purpose• Assist young people participate in education, training

and/or employment.

What will be delivered?• Activities to support work/education readiness,

placement and support into flexible education, training and employment.


Health services

Purpose• Identify and address any health issues including alcohol

and drug use and mental health issues that may be directly or indirectly contributing to offending behaviour.

What will be delivered?• Health assessments and interventions including those

responding to substance use and mental health issues.


Community reparation

Purpose• Provide a direct consequence for the young person’s

offending behaviour, facilitate their ability to establish work habits, develop positive attitudes by helping others.

What will be delivered?• Involvement in projects that give back to the community.

This may include maintaining public sites, sorting recycling items for charities and graffiti removal.


MentoringPurpose• Guide, encourage and support young people through a

structured and trusting relationship.

What will be delivered?• Mentors will be volunteers from the community. A

mentoring network will be established to deliver mentoring activities such as fishing, going to the park/beach, attending sporting events, picnics and the production of artworks.


The program must:• be delivered with cultural competence• involve staff that are trained, supervised and hold

relevant qualifications• support the participation of family members• have appropriate governance frameworks in place• collect informed consent from participants.

Program delivery

Statutory case management and integration• Pre- and post- sentence assessments will inform the

development of Youth Justice Service case plans.

• Case plans will form the basis of individualised structured daily activities.

• Case plans will be developed by Youth Justice Services and in consultation with the service provider.

• Structured daily activities will be developed by the service provider.

• A working group will be formed to support program integration and implementation.

Program delivery

Program coordination and delivery• The service provider will coordinate the SYBC program

including administration of individualised structured days.• The service provider will also deliver and/or sub-contract

the following program components:• residential facility and services• intensive physical activity/experiential learning• intensive family support• community reparation• mentoring.

Program delivery

Partnership development• The service provider will also develop partnerships with

existing providers to deliver the following components:• offence focussed programs (Youth Justice Service)• health services (e.g. Queensland Health)• education, training and employment (e.g. Department of

Education, Training and Employment)• community reparation.

Requirements for fundingeligibility

• The Community Services Act 2007 (the Act) governs the provision of Youth Justice grants funding.

• It establishes an Approved Service Provider system designed to ensure that service providers are: • financially and organisationally viable • have the capacity, within resources, to successfully provide

services consistent with the objects and guiding principles of the Act.


• As well as holding/applying for Approved Service Provider status, all organisations making submissions must also:• have no outstanding financial accountability, service delivery or

performance issues for funding previously provided by the Queensland Government

• hold public liability and other relevant insurance (or provide plans to obtain insurance)

• provide evidence that the organisation has the capacity to deliver and sustain the service required.


Submissions • Must address all selection criteria and provide evidence

to support each claim by the service provider and/or subcontracted service provider.

• Include evidence that the organisation can meet funded output target levels.

Funded outputs• Temporary supported accommodation: 1825 places• Needs assessment/case management: 3728 – 4332

hours• Community living support activities not elsewhere

classified (overnight camps): 130 places

Key budgetaryconsiderations

• Funds will be provided across a two year period. Funds are released on a quarterly basis following performance and financial acquittals from the previous quarter.

• A one-off payment will be available for service establishment.

• Budgets should include an itemised annual budget for each year of the trial.

• Service providers will be required to create cost-efficiencies where possible.

Performanceand evaluation

• Service providers will be required to report quarterly on funded outputs delivered as well as identified performance measures

• A process and outcome evaluation will be undertaken to assess the trial. The funded service provider will work with the department to support this process.

Key dates/milestones

• Funding submissions close: 19 September 2012

• Attorney-General announcement of funded service provider: early October 2012

• Service agreement signed: 26 October 2012

• Service establishment commences: 29 October 2012

• Service delivery commences: January 2013

Further information

• For tender documentation please go to www.justice.qld.gov.au

• Departmental staff are available to answer further questions as they arise. Contact details are in the tender documents.

• Questions?

http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/

sentenced youth boot camp

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