❓ Mr. Blayney questions the Minister for Community Services on the Department's collaboration with Education to improve school attendance in Geraldton through the Target 120 program. The Minister clarifies the program's focus on specific at-risk youth and offers to provide de-identified attendance data.
AnsweredQoN 950Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TARGET 120 — SCHOOL ATTENDANCE —
GERALDTON
950. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the Minister for Community Services:
I refer to the media
statement dated 6 November 2020 about the Target 120 early intervention
program, which was recently expanded to Geraldton, that states that the
Department of Communities is working with a range of departments, including the
Department of Education. How is the minister's department working with
Education to encourage and enforce school attendance in Geraldton?
GERALDTON
950. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the Minister for Community Services:
I refer to the media
statement dated 6 November 2020 about the Target 120 early intervention
program, which was recently expanded to Geraldton, that states that the
Department of Communities is working with a range of departments, including the
Department of Education. How is the minister's department working with
Education to encourage and enforce school attendance in Geraldton?
AnswerView source ↗
I do not know whether the member paid much attention to the
Target 120 publicity—I think I also answered a question during question
time recently—but, as the name implies, Target 120 is a very
concentrated program. It works with identified families in a concentrated way
to get better outcomes for the young people in those families, and hopefully
other members of the family, such as siblings and parents. I explained in
answer to a question asked of me in this house during question time that the
program is working with young people aged 10 to 14 and their families. In
Geraldton in the last year, we have worked with 10 young people and their
families. We are starting to get some very good outcomes around the state, but
in the case of Geraldton, from memory, 77 per cent of those young people have
committed no new offences. Overall, there has been a 99 per cent reduction in
offending by those young people. I do not
have the data to hand on school attendance, but that is certainly one of the
criteria and one of the measures we will use to guide the success or
otherwise of the program. The program is working with those identified young people, but it is not designed to look at school
attendance across the board. In the case of the Geraldton program, it is
working with 10 young people. I am happy to get the member some de-identified
data on what is happening with their school attendance, but it is not designed
to work more generally on school attendance.
TARGET 120 —
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE — GERALDTON
Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to
the Minister for Community Services:
Has the minister discussed with the Minister for Education
and Training the reintroduction of education department truancy officers to
help reduce recidivism and improve school attendance for —
The SPEAKER : That is not a supplementary; that is not
part of the first question.
Target 120 publicity—I think I also answered a question during question
time recently—but, as the name implies, Target 120 is a very
concentrated program. It works with identified families in a concentrated way
to get better outcomes for the young people in those families, and hopefully
other members of the family, such as siblings and parents. I explained in
answer to a question asked of me in this house during question time that the
program is working with young people aged 10 to 14 and their families. In
Geraldton in the last year, we have worked with 10 young people and their
families. We are starting to get some very good outcomes around the state, but
in the case of Geraldton, from memory, 77 per cent of those young people have
committed no new offences. Overall, there has been a 99 per cent reduction in
offending by those young people. I do not
have the data to hand on school attendance, but that is certainly one of the
criteria and one of the measures we will use to guide the success or
otherwise of the program. The program is working with those identified young people, but it is not designed to look at school
attendance across the board. In the case of the Geraldton program, it is
working with 10 young people. I am happy to get the member some de-identified
data on what is happening with their school attendance, but it is not designed
to work more generally on school attendance.
TARGET 120 —
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE — GERALDTON
Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to
the Minister for Community Services:
Has the minister discussed with the Minister for Education
and Training the reintroduction of education department truancy officers to
help reduce recidivism and improve school attendance for —
The SPEAKER : That is not a supplementary; that is not
part of the first question.
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