2. Overview and context of the program
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2.1 Overview of the program
The Helping Hand and Linking Youth program in its current form began with funding from the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department for the Youth Initiative Activity run by the South Inverell Residents Association in 2005-06. In 2007-08 this activity was funded through the Indigenous Justice Programme. Since 2010-11, the program has shifted in focus from youth engagement activities to intensive case management and is administered by the Inverell Shire Council. The program is currently receiving funding from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
The program provides intensive case management to Aboriginal youth (12 to 18 years of age) who have been incarcerated or are at risk of being incarcerated by assisting them to return to school or engage in training, make positive life choices and, as a result, reduce their contact with the justice system. The program is designed to address the underlying causes of offending and achieves this through appropriate referrals to other service providers, mentoring and a holistic approach to support which ensures the young people feel cared for and understood.
2.2 Context within which the program operates
The program works with Aboriginal young people in Inverell and surrounding areas who have either been incarcerated in the past or are at risk of incarceration in the future. The young people that the program works with face a number of social and economic risk factors for offending, including substance abuse, family dysfunction (family violence, child abuse and neglect), time in foster care, intergenerational offending, lack of role models, poor relations with the police, isolation from services, homelessness and a lack of education and employment opportunities. Many of the young people in the program experience a combination of these factors in their lives.4
A lack of alternative support for these young people inhibits their ability to live healthy lives and develop strong identities. This leads to a range of issues for the young people and society including low levels of engagement in education and training, poor health outcomes, lack of self-worth, anti-social and offending behavior and, ultimately, contact with the justice system.