Responsibility: State and territory governments
Response:
ACT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA, NT: Accept
NSW: Accept in principle
Australian Capital Territory
Response: Accept
Status: Complete
What has been achieved to date
In addition to training that has been embedded into Bimberi Youth Justice Centre’s induction and ongoing training programs (see initial ACT response), Bimberi has the Principal Practitioner position dedicated to leading the centre’s inclusive and trauma responsive practices. This includes providing coaching to staff, developing support plans for individuals and liaising with key stakeholders including Health, Education and Mental Health services to ensure young people’s needs are identified and reasonable adjustments and individualised interventions are implemented in response to need.
ACT government response July 2024
Bimberi Youth Justice Centre provides induction and ongoing training to staff to ensure that support provided to young people in custody is trauma informed, culturally safe and gender responsive. This training includes, but is not limited to, working with young people with disability and reasonable adjustments, Reflecting and Developing Dyadic Aware Relationships (RADDAR), youth mental health first-aid, trauma informed practice and managing challenging/sexualised behaviours.
New South Wales
Response: Accept in principle
Status: In progress
What has been achieved to date
Youth Justice NSW (YJNSW) is commencing planning and stakeholder consultation for the next iteration of their disability strategy. This recommendation will be considered as part of the new strategy.
YJNSW currently offers the following training packages and resources:
- Working with young people with intellectual disability or cognitive impairment handbook
- Supporting young people with a disability e-learning module
- Working with young people with disabilities face to face training (one day)
Justice Health NSW provides initial education to all staff regarding trauma informed and culturally appropriate care for young people in the justice system. Justice Health NSW provides targeted education to staff regarding the needs and experiences of children with disability.
NSW government response July 2024
NSW Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the frontline workforce in the youth justice system receives the ongoing training and development required to work with people with suspected and diagnosed disability, which is trauma informed, culturally appropriate and gender responsive.
NSW Health and Youth Justice NSW work in partnership to provide a service that is responsive to the needs of people with disability who are in youth detention settings in NSW. Within current resourcing, staffing and budgetary limitations, staff training is delivered to frontline youth justice and clinical health staff. This work will continue.
NSW Government recognises mutual commitments under Closing the Gap to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to work in partnership with community and Aboriginal organisations to improve service responsiveness for vulnerable young people in contact with the youth justice system.
Northern Territory
Response: Accept
Status: In progress
What has been achieved to date
Training for Youth Justice staff in the Northern Territory is delivered by the Australian Children’s Foundation and focuses on various aspects of childhood development and child safety, as well as the effects of cognitive behavioural disorders and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The training teaches staff strategies to respond to children with disability and adapt their practice to remain inclusive and reduce risk. This training is regularly updated by the Australian Childhood Foundation and delivered to every Youth Justice Officer during their induction and through ongoing toolbox training delivered by the Specialist Assessment and Treatment Services team.
NT government response July 2024
Evidence shows that trauma-informed and culturally appropriate approaches for children with disability in youth detention facilities delivers better outcomes for all. The Northern Territory Government is committed to the ongoing support and training it provides to all youth justice staff and officials to enable them to work effectively and appropriately with young people, develop positive relationships, thereby reducing the likelihood that they will continue to engage in high risk and anti-social behaviour.
Queensland
Response: Accept
Status: In progress
What has been achieved to date
The Queensland Department of Youth Justice and Victim Support has developed a Neurodevelopmental Disability Framework (NDD Framework) which is in its final stages of completion to ensure that young people in contact with youth justice receive appropriate responses including therapeutic and other interventions. Onboarding training has been developed in relation to the NDD Framework.
Existing disability training is being mapped to the NDD Framework to identify gaps and opportunities for enhancement.
QLD government response July 2024
The Queensland Government notes that a range of disability staff training exists across the sector which will be reviewed for development of further training options with a view to ensuring disability training is culturally appropriate and considers the implications of new research.
South Australia
Response: Accept
Status: Completed
What has been achieved to date
Current policies and practices in South Australia are consistent with this recommendation, and has such it has been marked as complete.
The South Australian Department of Human Services Youth Justice provides a range of training and support to all staff at Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre in relation to the needs and experiences of young people with disabilities, including trauma-informed, culturally appropriate practice and gender responsive approaches. Training is provided during induction, and on an ongoing basis as required.
SA government response July 2024
Current policies and practices in South Australia are consistent with this recommendation. DHS Youth Justice provides a range of training and support to all staff at Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre in relation to the needs and experiences of young people with disabilities, including trauma-informed, culturally appropriate practice and gender responsive approaches. Training is provided during induction, and on an ongoing basis as required.
Tasmania
Response: Accept
Status: Further work required
What has been achieved to date
As of April 2025, work is underway to strengthen staff capability in supporting young people with disability in Tasmania’s youth detention facility.
The Department for Education, Children and Young People will consider dedicated disability training as part of the staged implementation of the new Admissions policy and procedure, and the broader Practice Model.
In the meantime, the Certificate IV training program for Youth Workers at Ashley Youth Detention Centre has commenced, which includes a component focused on working with young people with disability.
TAS government response July 2024
The Tasmanian Government accepts this recommendation.
The Tasmanian Government is committed to disability training for staff working with young people in youth detention.
Victoria
Response: Accept
Status: In progress
What has been achieved to date
The Victorian Government provides mandatory disability awareness training for all staff as part of the Youth Justice Foundations Training package. The disability awareness is a mandatory three-hour training which includes information about disability and associated needs the impact of such, identification and screening processes, the impact of trauma for young people with disability and strategies for working with and supporting children and young people with disability who may and may not have experienced trauma. The Specialist Disability Advisor Team works alongside the Behaviour Support Specialist Team in custody to ensure the integration of disability focused practice in the custodial units and to embed practice with staff. Content under Youth Justice Foundations Training is reviewed yearly to ensure it aligns with Certificate IV in Youth Justice.
Acknowledging the overrepresentation of young people with disability among First Nations people, the Victorian Government commits to including a disability lens to the current training package Supporting Aboriginal Young People and Children in Youth Justice. Further, the Victorian Government commits to including a disability lens to the established Best Practice Approaches to working with queer young people and staff training that is available to all Youth Justice staff.
VIC government response July 2024
We accept this recommendation in full.
Disability awareness training is mandatory for all staff as part of Youth Justice Foundations Training. This 3-hour training session includes information about:
- disability and associated needs and impacts
- identification and screening processes
- the effects of trauma on young people with disability
- strategies for working with and supporting children and young people with disability who may and may not have experienced trauma.
The Specialist Disability Advisor Team works with the Behaviour Support Specialist Team to make sure staff in custodial units use disability-focused practice.
We review training content each year to make sure it aligns with Certificate IV in Youth Justice.
We know that First Nations young people with disability are overrepresented in Youth Justice. We will include a disability lens for the current training package Supporting Aboriginal Young People and Children in Youth Justice.
We will also include a disability lens in training that covers best practice approaches to working with LGBTIQA+ young people for Youth Justice staff.
Western Australia
Response: Accepts
Status: In progress
What has been achieved to date
Training is provided to all Youth Custodial staff through the Department of Communities' Disability Justice Team. In addition, No FASD Australia has been engaged to deliver Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) training.
An environmental scan of training provided by other jurisdictions is currently underway to identify additional training opportunities. Following the scan, the training currently delivered within Western Australia will be reviewed.
WA government response July 2024
The WA Government accepts this recommendation. Youth Custodial Officers receive disability training. Implementation is already underway, and the training program is ongoing.
What the Disability Royal Commission said in the final report
State and territory governments should ensure staff and officials in youth detention centres at all levels receive appropriate initial and ongoing training and support in relation to the needs and experiences of children with disability. This includes training and support on trauma-informed care and culturally appropriate and gender responsive approaches to children with disability in detention.
More recommendations
View progress on other recommendations made by the Royal Commission.