The panel was hosted by Elena Campbell (Associate Director of Research, Advocacy & Policy at the Centre for Innovative Justice), and featured Dagmar Andersen (Victoria Police), Dani Gold (Royal Children’s Hospital), Jemma Mead (Drummond Street), and Stephanie Pashias (Youthlaw).
The event reemphasised crucial findings from the PIPA Project: Positive Interventions for Perpetrators of Adolescent Violence in the Home by the Centre for Innovative Justice and ANROWS. The project’s findings highlight the gaps in system and service responses to adolescents who use violence in the home (AVITH). The panellists discussed how legal, health and family violence services can work to effectively respond to AVITH.
Key points from the discussion were:
The event highlighted that when families do reach out for support, what they are asking for are therapeutic services. However, rarely do families recognise that there are services and support for them outside of the criminal justice system. Service responses beyond a legal response offer a more nuanced approach to dealing with AVITH. Such an approach allows for early intervention and ensures that responses are centred around young people.
The system is operating in a perpetual cycle of crisis rather than offering any kind of long-term response to AVITH. System and service responses need to identify AVITH earlier before it reaches a crisis point and enters the criminal justice system. This requires a collaborative response. No one service holds all the answers, there needs to be support and different touchpoints within the system to support young people and families dealing with AVITH. The key messages from this conversation will help to better support young people and families who are dealing with AVITH in more nuanced and collaborative ways.
The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare is committed to being a part of discussions and continues to work with agencies to find better solutions and responses to AVITH.
