The Department of Justice - Corrective Services has partnered with peak body Council of Aboriginal Services Western Australia (CASWA) to create WA's first Cultural Security Framework for Youth Detention.
This framework aims to strengthen and redefine culturally safe environments for young people in detention and drive positive outcomes for Aboriginal young people, their families, and communities.
The co-designed framework, the first of its kind in Justice, aligns with the Department's priorities and its Closing the Gap commitment to shared decision-making and reducing the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system.
The young people in detention, Aboriginal leaders and community members across the state and more than 250 staff from the Young People Directorate helped develop the framework, which includes key deliverables such as cultural empowerment for young people, connection to families, communities and Country, and Elder-led cultural governance.
CASWA Chairperson Chris Bin Kali said that the framework was about restoring identity, dignity, and connection.
"When young people leave detention, we hope they will carry a renewed sense of hope and belonging, strengthened by culture and supported by their families as they take their next steps toward a positive future," Mr Bin Kali said.
Corrective Services Commissioner Brad Royce said the framework was created through extensive collaboration and partnership and sets a new standard for youth justice. The goal is to make detention a place of restoration and healing, in line with the Model of Care and the Department's Reconciliation Action Plan.
"Justice, CASWA, Aboriginal-Controlled Community Organisations and other services are working together closer than ever to ensure a supported transition for young people back into the community", Mr Royce said.
"In this culturally secure system, Aboriginal young people will be heard, valued, and connected to their identity where culture is embedded in everyday practice," Commissioner Royce said.
