Today is Australasian Youth Justice Acknowledgment Day (14 October 2025) and an opportunity to highlight the valued work that youth justice professionals play in our community.
Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Michael Pettersson MLA, thanked youth justice professionals for the important contributions they make to the lives of vulnerable young people and their families in the ACT.
"Every day, people in the youth justice sector make a real difference in our community by supporting vulnerable young people, advocating for them, and ultimately helping them to transform their lives," Minister Pettersson said.
"Youth justice professionals overcome significant and complex challenges in their day-to-day jobs, but their achievements often go unrecognised. For this reason, it's incredibly important that we celebrate the valuable contributions that these dedicated professionals make in our community and thank them for helping young people to grow up to lead positive lives."
The theme of Australasian Youth Justice Acknowledgement Day for 2025 is Upholding Values: Identity, Strength and Resilience.
Today, Minister Pettersson visited Bimberi Youth Justice Centre to meet with youth justice professionals and young people, and later presented the ACT Youth Justice Awards.
The ACT Youth Justice Awards recognise the outstanding work and leadership of youth justice sector professionals, with categories celebrating individual and team excellence.
The winners of the 2025 ACT Youth Justice Awards are:
- Belinda Garcia – Exceptional Practice – Individual; and
- Recidivist Offender Multi-Agency Round Table (ROMART) – Exceptional Practice – Team
Working within the Health and Community Services Directorate's Intensive Adolescent Servies team, Ms. Garcia received multiple nominations from her peers who noted her exceptional approach when working with highly complex cases. She has demonstrated unwavering commitment to preventing young people from coming into or returning to the youth justice system. Ms. Garcia forms strong connections through effective collaboration and is a passionate and fierce advocate for the wellbeing of her clients, ensuring that their voices are heard.
ROMART is a multi-agency case management body made up of representatives from ACT Policing, Youth Justice and Adolescent Services, Child, Youth and Families Services, Therapeutic Support Team, and Bimberi Youth Justice Centre. The team coordinates support for high-risk youth offenders, using a targeted approach that has led to successful diversion outcomes and improved community safety.
Ms Garcia and the ROMART team will be the ACT's nominees in the 2025 Australasian Youth justice Awards to be held in December.
The winners were selected from a strong field of nominees from across the government, non-government and private sectors.
Minister Pettersson congratulated the award winners, and all nominees, for their vital work, often undertaken in difficult circumstances.
"Youth justice professionals do extraordinary work every day. I acknowledge the collaborative approach they take – working with young people, their families and other professionals in the youth justice sector to provide support and solve complex problems," Minister Pettersson said.
"The winners and nominees – and indeed all youth justice professionals in the ACT – should be incredibly proud of their achievements."
Quote attributable to Belinda Garcia, Intensive Adolescent Practitioner at Intensive Adolescent Service, Youth Justice and Adolescent Services (Children, Youth and Families):
"I am so proud to work in Youth Justice, as it's a privilege to work alongside our young people during critical periods of their lives, and support them in their journey of realising their personal potential, opportunities for growth, and life-changing goals. These awards are a reminder of the dedication and compassion my colleagues across the sector deliver every day, working with some of the most vulnerable members of our community to help keep everyone safe, which is work that is not always visible to the wider community."
Quote attributable to Acting Sergeant Rob Cattanach of ACT Policing (a finalist in the Exceptional Practice for an Individual category):
"A whole-of-government commitment to education gives young people the tools to rise above their circumstances – turning potential into purpose."
