21 January 2025
The Law Society is pleased to see the Labor Government is trialing a new initiative aimed at diverting vulnerable young children aged between 5 and 9 away from entering the criminal justice system, as well as investing in new and expanded bail support services for 10 to 17 year olds, in Perth and Geraldton. This follows the Law Society’s call for a range of early intervention strategies to support at-risk children.
The Law Society’s State Election Campaign 2025 ‘Better Access to Justice for all Western Australians’ calls for the Government to address the underlying causes and social determinants of criminal offending behaviour amongst children and young people by implementing reforms which support early intervention. The On Track to Thrive Pilot for 5 to 9 year olds, and the expansion of the Youth Engagement Program (YEP) operated by the Aboriginal Legal Service for 10 to 17 year olds, should provide children with appropriate support outside of the criminal justice system through addressing the root causes of criminal offending behaviour.
Ensuring young people are offered a pathway away from the criminal justice system, before they become entrenched in a cycle of reoffending and disadvantage, is critical to reducing the rate of youth incarceration and recidivism.
Although the details of the On Track to Thrive pilot are not yet available, it is encouraging to see that the program will be delivered jointly by key government agencies including the Departments of Justice, Communities, Education and Health. The Law Society has highlighted through its Election Campaign that intersecting issues in early childhood education, health services, mental health services, child protection interventions, the education system and diversion and rehabilitation services, need to be considered wholistically when addressing youth justice matters.
Child health and development services, family support programmes, primary and secondary school teachers, and child protection services all play a key role in ensuring that vulnerable children are provided with the support and interventions they need in order to engage positively in education and community life.
It is essential that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community stakeholders and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations are involved in this pilot, to ensure it is culturally appropriate and trauma informed.
Law Society President Gary Mack said:
“I commend the State Government for answering our call to introduce initiatives which are designed to offer support to vulnerable young children who often come into contact with the justice system because they are experiencing serious disadvantage and poverty, intergenerational trauma, mental health issues, various learning problems and disabilities. By providing support to these young people as early as possible, they can be diverted away from criminal behaviour early on, thus improving outcomes for these young people, their families and our community as a whole.”
Media contact: cchaffey@lawsocietywa.asn.au
