Sentenced youth boot camp
Information session: May 2013
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.
• On 24 March 2013, Cabinet endorsed an expansion of
the youth boot camp trial to three further locations:
• early intervention youth boot camps in Rockhampton and
on the Fraser Coast/Sunshine Coast; and
• a sentenced youth boot camp in Townsville.
Background
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
• use physical activities to change attitudes and
negative self perceptions
• address the causes of crime
• continuation of the program on return to the
community.
Background
Key messages from consultation
• Underpinned by integrated case management framework
• Involve ‘in community’ programs and mentoring
• Involve family members
• Be evidence-based
• Reflect the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander young people.
Background
Key messages from consultation continued…
• use the time young people are removed from the
community constructively
• 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
• ensure the program is evaluated.
Background
Two youth boot camp models developed:
• Early Intervention Youth Boot Camp (EIYBC)
• Targeting young people before they are entrenched in the
criminal justice system.
• Two year trials at three sites: Gold Coast, Fraser/Sunshine
Coast and Rockhampton involving 40 participants in each
location.
• Sentenced Youth Boot Camp (SYBC)
• Targeting young people facing a detention sentence.
• Two year trial at two sites: Cairns and Townsville involving 40
participants in each location.
Objectives of SYBC
Key objectives
• Reduce re-offending
• Improve community safety
• provide an intensive consequence for offending
Other important objectives
• develop discipline and respect
• engage in education, training and/or employment
• provide community reparation
• strengthen cultural identity and connection to
communities
Target group and 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.
• Referrals can be made by any court in relation to young
people who are residents of Townsville Local
Government Area, including north to Ingham, south to
Burdekin, west to Hughenden, Palm Island.
• The residential camp does not need to be located within
the catchment area.
Target group
Key issues common to the target group:
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pro-criminal attitudes and beliefs
dependency on illegal drugs and/or alcohol
high risk of re-offending
poor parental monitoring and supervision
family conflict leading to homelessness
association and identification with peers with anti-social
attitudes
• medium to long-term disengagement from education,
training and/or employment.
Referral pathway
• The Youth Justice Act 1992 has been amended with new
sentencing options to support the trial of the SYBC.
• The aims of this sentencing option will be to divert young
offenders from detention, increase community safety and
provide an intensive consequence for offending.
• The Townsville 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 camp
• community supervision
• mentoring.
Residential Camp
• Young people will attend a residential camp for the first
month of their boot camp order.
• This is where the SYBC structured day will commence.
• The structured day may include participation in a number
of program components from 8:30am – 5pm every day.
Features of service delivery
Conditions of the residential camp
• Must not be located in an urban location
• 24 hour, 7 day per week supervision and curfew
• All program components must be delivered at the
residential camp for the duration of the first month.
Residential capacity: up to five young people at a time.
Features of service delivery
Considerations – residential camp
• Ensures the safety and security of the local community
• Ensures the safety of staff and participants
• Access to critical incident responses with police and
emergency services
• Community consultation to occur before establishment
• Identification and management of risks to the program
Features of service delivery
Community supervision
• After the completion of the one month residential camp
phase, the young person will return to their community.
• The structured day and supervision will continue in the
community for the remainder of the boot camp order.
Mentoring
• Introduced during residential camp phase and continues
during community supervision phase.
• Option of continuing a voluntary mentoring relationship
after the completion of their youth justice order.
Features of service delivery
Where possible program components should be delivered
across the residential and community supervision phases.
Program may include:
•intensive physical activity/experiential learning
•Family responsibility
•cognitive behavioural training
•education, training and employment
•mental health services
•community reparation
•mentoring.
Features of service delivery
Intensive physical activity/experiential learning
Purpose
• Instil discipline in the young person, enhance their
physical health and enable the identification of the
causes of the young person’s offending.
What might be delivered?
• Challenging physical activities and experiential learning
in outdoor settings
Features of service delivery
Family responsibility
Purpose
• Strengthen the young person’s family and parents’
capacity to supervise and maintain boundaries on their
child.
What might be delivered?
• Family skilling programs are shown to be effective in the
promotion of supervision, discipline, and respectful
communication between young people and their families.
Features of service delivery
Cognitive behavioural training
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)
• Provided by Youth Justice Services.
Features of service delivery
Education, training and employment
Purpose
• Assist young people participate in education, training
and/or employment.
What might be delivered?
• Activities to support work/education readiness,
placement and support into flexible education, training
and employment.
• Transition to employment or vocational training at the
completion of the order
Features of service delivery
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 might be delivered?
• Health assessments and interventions including those
responding to substance use and mental health issues.
Features of service delivery
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 might be delivered?
• Involvement in projects that give back to the community.
This may include maintaining public sites, sorting
recycling items for charities, meals on wheels and graffiti
removal.
Features of service delivery
Mentoring
Purpose
• Guide, encourage and support young people through a
structured and trusting relationship.
What might be delivered?
• Mentors may be volunteers from the community. A
mentoring network may be established to deliver
mentoring activities.
Program delivery
Statutory case management and integration
• Youth Justice Services will develop case plans in
consultation with the service provider to meet
the needs of the court.
• Case plans will form the basis of structured daily
activities.
• Structured daily activities will be developed and
delivered by the service provider.
• If necessary 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 structured days in the
residential camp and in the community.
• The service provider may choose to deliver all
components themselves or subcontract elements of the
service.
• The service should be seamless to the participants.
Requirements for funding eligibility
• Establish that service provider is financially and
organisationally viable
• 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.
Requirements for funding eligibility
Recommendations for submissions:
• address all selection criteria with appropriate detail
• provide evidence to support each claim by the service
provider and/or subcontracted service provider.
• include evidence that the organisation can meet
performance targets.
Selection of service provider
Written submissions will be assessed on
• How well selection criteria is answered and supporting
evidence
• Eligibility criteria
• Ability to meet performance targets and outcomes for
young people and families
• Proposed budget and value for money
Key budgetary considerations
• Funds will be provided across a two year period.
• Budgets should include an itemised annual budget for
each year of the trial.
• Service providers are asked to create cost-efficiencies
where possible.
Performance and evaluation
• Service providers report quarterly on performance
measures
• A process and outcome evaluation will be undertaken to
assess the trial.
• Data collection will be required of the service provider to
contribute to the evaluation
Key dates/milestones
• Funding submissions close: 21 June 2013
• Attorney-General announcement of funded service
provider: 19 July 2013
• Service delivery commences: September 2013 or
before
Further information
• For tender documentation please go to
http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/youth-justice/youth-bootcamps-general-information
• Please send any queries regarding the Expression of
Interest Information Paper or Submission Form to
youthbootcamps@justice.qld.gov.au and a departmental
representative will respond.
• Questions?