- Target 120 Broome site to be led by Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisation
- Broome Youth and Families Hub awarded $750,000 to deliver early intervention program for at-risk youth
- Target 120 aims to reduce rates of youth reoffending by connecting at-risk young people with tailored services and supports
Local Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisation (ACCO) Broome Youth and Families Hub will assume leadership of the Target 120 program in Broome and has been awarded a $750,000 grant to deliver the program until 30 June 2025.
Broome Youth and Families Hub (BYFB) is a subsidiary of Kullarri Regional Communities Indigenous Corporation and has been delivering services in the Kimberley since 2014.
Among the list of existing services they deliver for children and at-risk young people in Broome includes a drop-in centre, a playgroup and parenting support group, girls group, school holiday activities, and programs for young people who are leaving out-of-home care.
The transition to ACCO leadership builds on the early intervention program's success in other locations, where it is helping to steer young people at risk of offending away from the criminal justice system by connecting them with tailored services and supports.
It also follows the McGowan Government's further $11.7 million investment as part of the 2023-24 State Budget to extend the program across all sites until June 2025.
This takes total investment in the successful early intervention program to more than $43 million.
As stated by Community Services Minister Sabine Winton:
"A huge key to this program's success is making sure we appoint the right service providers with good local knowledge and community relationships.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how Broome Youth and Families Hub are able to utilise their local connections and rapport to connect with at-risk young people and help them turn their lives around.
"This announcement further highlights the McGowan Government's genuine commitment to making a difference in our community and addressing longstanding and complex issues like youth crime."
As stated by Kimberley MLA Divina D'Anna:
"In the Kimberley, we know that programs led by Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations achieve the best outcomes for Aboriginal young people and their families.
"The Broome Youth and Families Hub already has a strong local presence and good relationships with the community. It will be great to see them build on that as they assume leadership of the Target 120 program here."
