❓ Mr. Millman inquires about the Home Safe program's trial outcomes and future support. The Minister details the program's success in engaging and transporting at-risk youth from Northbridge, highlighting collaborative efforts and ongoing funding.
AnsweredQoN 936Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOME
SAFE PROGRAM
936. Mr S.A. MILLMAN to the Minister for Community Services:
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's Home Safe program, which aims to keep unaccompanied minors
off the streets of Northbridge at night.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on the outcome of the program's trial,
including how it is keeping young people safe?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this government plans to support the continuation
of this successful program?
SAFE PROGRAM
936. Mr S.A. MILLMAN to the Minister for Community Services:
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's Home Safe program, which aims to keep unaccompanied minors
off the streets of Northbridge at night.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on the outcome of the program's trial,
including how it is keeping young people safe?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this government plans to support the continuation
of this successful program?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Mount Lawley for the question. I wholeheartedly agree that
Northbridge is no place for children at night. That is why the Cook Labor
government is investing $935 000 to continue our Home Safe initiative to June
2025. It is a really important initiative that has had great outcomes in
keeping children safe in Northbridge. All members would know that Home Safe was
started by our government in the summer of 2022, when we introduced this
program to get unaccompanied kids off the streets of Northbridge at night and, importantly, by doing so, potentially divert
them from the justice system. Home
Safe provides transport for those young people to their home, a safe place or
the youth at-risk facility, YouthBeat, in Northbridge. Back in February,
I had the opportunity to spend a night in Northbridge. I do not get out to Northbridge much anymore! In all
seriousness, I attended on that Friday night back in February to see the
program at work. It was quite incredible to see the police, Communities,
Mission Australia and Nyoongar Outreach
Services working collaboratively to support those young kids who should not be
on the streets at night in Northbridge. This announcement was a really positive
step forward. Since that positive diversion program was implemented, we have
seen over 800 young people engaged and taken off the streets of Northbridge.
There have been nearly 3 000 interactions with young people to get them off the
streets and back to a safe place and connected back home. The average age of
children involved was 14 and a half, with the youngest just nine years old.
Members can see how important this program is in supporting the various agencies,
including police, to get young people away from Northbridge and back home and
safe.
Our government is committed to giving
children and young people every opportunity to be the best that they can be. In
addition to supporting children and young people to get to a safe and secure
place at night, the program importantly also helps to identify at-risk children
and young people and ensure that they have the wraparound support that they
need. It is not just about getting children out of Northbridge and putting them somewhere else. Through that process, we
identify the risk for those children and we can then put wraparound
services in place. Through that partnership, at-risk Aboriginal children and
young people and their families receive multiagency case management and support
led by Nyoongar Outreach Services, an Aboriginal community–controlled
organisation. This initiative complements an extraordinarily wide range of
early intervention, prevention and diversionary measures that have been
implemented since we came to government in
2017 to divert at-risk young people from the criminal justice system. We know
that investing in at-risk youth means that we are investing in their
future and, ultimately, our community.
thank the member for Mount Lawley for the question. I wholeheartedly agree that
Northbridge is no place for children at night. That is why the Cook Labor
government is investing $935 000 to continue our Home Safe initiative to June
2025. It is a really important initiative that has had great outcomes in
keeping children safe in Northbridge. All members would know that Home Safe was
started by our government in the summer of 2022, when we introduced this
program to get unaccompanied kids off the streets of Northbridge at night and, importantly, by doing so, potentially divert
them from the justice system. Home
Safe provides transport for those young people to their home, a safe place or
the youth at-risk facility, YouthBeat, in Northbridge. Back in February,
I had the opportunity to spend a night in Northbridge. I do not get out to Northbridge much anymore! In all
seriousness, I attended on that Friday night back in February to see the
program at work. It was quite incredible to see the police, Communities,
Mission Australia and Nyoongar Outreach
Services working collaboratively to support those young kids who should not be
on the streets at night in Northbridge. This announcement was a really positive
step forward. Since that positive diversion program was implemented, we have
seen over 800 young people engaged and taken off the streets of Northbridge.
There have been nearly 3 000 interactions with young people to get them off the
streets and back to a safe place and connected back home. The average age of
children involved was 14 and a half, with the youngest just nine years old.
Members can see how important this program is in supporting the various agencies,
including police, to get young people away from Northbridge and back home and
safe.
Our government is committed to giving
children and young people every opportunity to be the best that they can be. In
addition to supporting children and young people to get to a safe and secure
place at night, the program importantly also helps to identify at-risk children
and young people and ensure that they have the wraparound support that they
need. It is not just about getting children out of Northbridge and putting them somewhere else. Through that process, we
identify the risk for those children and we can then put wraparound
services in place. Through that partnership, at-risk Aboriginal children and
young people and their families receive multiagency case management and support
led by Nyoongar Outreach Services, an Aboriginal community–controlled
organisation. This initiative complements an extraordinarily wide range of
early intervention, prevention and diversionary measures that have been
implemented since we came to government in
2017 to divert at-risk young people from the criminal justice system. We know
that investing in at-risk youth means that we are investing in their
future and, ultimately, our community.
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