Mr Ben Whitehouse1
1Department of Communities , Armadale, Australia
Within government, youth justice is traditionally seen as an issue for the department responsible for justice or corrective services. However, the range of risk factors which can lead to offending behaviour in young people is rarely the mandate of this same agency. Therefore, inter-departmental collaboration is essential to prevent youth crime.
This presentation will reflect on the West Australian Department of Communities’ engagement in the Youth Partnership Project, with a focus on how the purposeful inclusion of strategies for systems coordination enable a cross-sector of partners to move beyond individual programs with isolated impact, to a collective approach with a common goal of preventing youth offending. We will also explore how Government departments with a traditional focus on statutory services, have an important role to play in helping facilitate early intervention in order to be more responsive to the spectrum of needs in the community.
Biography:
Bio to come