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Initiatives targeting Recommendation 16CommonwealthNational School Drug Education Strategy and COAG Agreed Measures for Drugs in Schools The National School Drug Education strategy aligns with the National Drug Action Plans developed under the National Drug Strategic Framework 1998-99 to 2002-03. The Strategy strengthens the provision of educational programmes and supportive environments that contribute to the goal of 'no illicit drugs in schools'. This goal is based on the belief that illicit and other unsanctioned drug use in schools is unacceptable. The focus is on educational outcomes. Assisting students with drug related problems and deterring the presence and use of unsanctioned drugs in schools is also addressed under the Strategy. Key measures under the Strategy include contracted funding to each State and Territory to enhance school drug education activities, such as:
COAG resolved in 1999 that illicit drugs have no place in our schools and that the response to drug use in schools would be strengthened. The National Framework for Protocols for Managing the Possession, Use and/or Distribution of Illicit and Other Unsanctioned Drugs in Schools (National Framework) has been developed to provide a consistent approach to dealing with drug issues in schools, developed in cooperation with the government, Catholic and independent school sectors, and agreed to and endorsed by all Australian governments. Key measures currently being progressed under this initiative include Local School-Community Drug Summits (the summits) and the School Drug Education Information (SDEI) project. The summits aim to bring school staff, parents and key community members together to encourage stronger, broader and more integrated community engagement and support in addressing illicit and unsanctioned drug use by young people. The Summits are also the key initiative for the implementation of the National Framework and strengthening prevention and early intervention activities in schools. The SDEI is developing a suite of multi-media resources that support effective drug education and management in Australian schools. The resources focus on multimedia teaching and learning activities to support classroom-based drug education activities; professional development for teachers implementing effective drug education within and beyond the classroom; and an overarching framework for strengthening a whole school approach for effective drug education strategies and management. Target group: Students, teachers, parents and school community members Coverage: Government, Catholic and independent schools. Timeframe: Over four years to June 2003 Contact details: Initiative Website address: www.dest.gov.au/schools/publications/subject.htm Responsible Agency: Department of Education, Science and Training Quality Teacher Programme The aim of this programme is to update and improve teacher skills and understanding in literacy, numeracy, mathematics, science, information technology and vocational education in schools and to enhance the status of teaching. The programme supports the implementation of the government's Teachers for the 21st Century initiative. Target group: Main target groups are those who completed formal training ten or more years ago, casual teachers and teachers who are re-entering the teaching profession. Secondary target groups include teachers of Indigenous students, teachers in rural and remote schools and teachers in disadvantaged urban schools Coverage: All state and territory government and non-government education authorities. Timeframe: 2000-01 to 2004-05 Contact: Website: http://qualityteaching.dest.gov.au Responsible Agency: Department of Education, Science and Training National Literacy and Numeracy Plan (NLNP) and the National Goals for Schooling The development of appropriate literacy and numeracy standards is a national issue and Governments have acted to achieve real and measurable improvements in both literacy and numeracy skills for all Australian children, which will better prepare them for the future. In April 1999, State, Territory and Commonwealth Ministers of Education met as the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) in Adelaide. At that meeting, Ministers endorsed a set of National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century. The goals are known as The Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century. As part of the National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century, Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers for Education have agreed on a National Literacy and Numeracy Goal that: 'students should have attained the skills of numeracy and English literacy, such that every student should be numerate, able to read, write, spell and communicate at an appropriate level'. This national goal represents community expectations for all schools in literacy and numeracy. To help support the achievement of the National Goal, all Education Ministers have endorsed a National Literacy and Numeracy Plan, which calls for a coordinated approach at the national level to improving literacy and numeracy standards and consists of the following key inter-related elements:
All government and non-government education authorities receiving Commonwealth funding must make a commitment to achieving the legislated performance measures and targets which are set out in the States Grants (Primary and Secondary Education Assistance) Act 2000. These performance measures and targets include the reporting of nationally comparable literacy and numeracy benchmarking data for years 3, 5 and 7. Target Group: All school age children with a focus on early years. Geographical Coverage: National Timeframe: Ongoing Contact details: Website: http://www.dest.gov.au/schools/Literacy&Numeracy/index.htm Scaffolding Literacy Programme The Scaffolding Literacy Programme is an accelerated reading and writing programme for primary and secondary school students. This programme is coordinated by the University of Canberra and is based on early work carried out in the Alice Springs region. Scaffolding particularly addresses ongoing issues of low teacher expectations, the substitution of busy work for real achievement, behaviour management problems and variety in learning levels and styles. Scaffolding helps students to read materials appropriate to their age without shame or embarrassment through intensive assistance. This is a highly successful programme with the capacity to achieve dramatic gains in literacy competence. In a number of instances children have moved from kindergarten level to Grade 5/6 level reading performance on benchmarked text in 18 months to 2 years. Three schools supported by the programme won National Literacy Awards in 2000. Coverage: Being delivered in 22 locations across Australia, primarily in the Kimberley/Pilbara area of Western Australia. Timeframe: 2000 - 2002 Contact: Branch Manager Responsible Agency: Department of Education, Science and Training Website: www.dest.gov.au Mentoring of Year 8, 9 and 10 Indigenous students Formation of one-on-one relationships between a mentor and student with the view to fostering a caring and supportive relationship; encouraging students to achieve their fullest potential; and helping students develop their own individual vision for the future. Target Group: Indigenous students in Years 8, 9 and 10 Coverage: National Timeframe: January 2000 to June 2003 Contact: Branch Manager Responsible Agency: Department of Education, Science and Training Website: www.dest.gov.au National Indigenous English Literacy
and Numeracy Programme (NIELNS) The objective of the National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy is to achieve English literacy and numeracy for Indigenous students at levels comparable to those achieved by other young Australians. The strategy acknowledges that extra effort is required by education providers for Indigenous students to be successful and aims to address six key elements:
Under the NIELNS, DEST funds a range of projects that provide personalised support, community learning environments, and vocational learning experiences to young Indigenous people who are at risk of disconnection or who have become disconnected. Some initiatives focus specifically on the issue of literacy and/or numeracy whilst others seek to improve educational outcomes via other means such as increasing attendance rates, involving parents and the community, addressing health issues and mentoring. Target Group: Indigenous Young People Coverage: National Timeframe: 2000 to 2004 Contact: Branch Manager Website: www.dest.gov.au/schools/indigenous/nielns.htm Career and Transition (CATS) Pilots During the 2002 school year, twenty three Career and Transition Pilot (CATS) projects across Australia are exploring methodologies for and testing ways to enhance career and transition support to young people aged 13-19 years. The pilot projects will offer improved career and transition information, support, guidance and advice and will include the development of individual learning pathways plans focusing on young peoples transitions through school and from school to further education, training and work, prepared with the support of dedicated Transition Advisors. Local partnerships between schools, the community, government and industry as well as links with families are an integral part of these projects. The CAT projects have been developed as part of the Government's response to the Youth Pathways Action Plan Taskforce's Report Footprints to the Future, in particular to recommendations 4, 5 and 6. The Career and Transition (CAT) Pilots contain four major components:
Target Group: Young people aged 13-19 Geographical Coverage: 23 projects will operate across a variety if setting in metropolitan, regional and remote areas of Australia. Timeframe: 12 months from April 2002 Contact details: Responsible Agency: Department of Education, Science and Training Website: www.dest.gov.au Stronger Families and Communities Strategy The Stronger Families and Communities Strategy is a program intended to strengthen local communities and families through a range of linked initiatives. Youth are targeted under the Strategy, particularly through the following measures:
53 projects directly benefit young people. These projects have been funded under the Potential Leaders initiative (19 projects), the Local Solutions initiative (16 projects) and Early Intervention Parenting and Family Relationship Support (11 projects). The 53 projects also includes 6 projects of national significance. Target Group: Families and communities generally; youth are targeted as described above. Coverage: National Timeframe: Ongoing Contact details: Website: www.facs.gov.au/sfcs/index.htm Responsible Agency: Family and Community Services 'Reconnect' (formerly Youth Homelessness Early Intervention program) Reconnect provides early intervention support to young people aged 12 to 18 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and their families. The objectives of Reconnect is to improve the level of engagement of homeless young people, or those at risk of homelessness, with family, work, education, training and the community. As at March 2002, 93 Reconnect services are operating nationally and a further 7 are being established through community development processes. This will bring the total number of Reconnect services to 100. Six Reconnect services specifically focus on Indigenous young people, their families and communities. The Department is working with an additional seven Indigenous communities in remote, rural and metropolitan areas to establish specific services to address the needs of local young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families. Target Group: Young people aged 12 to 18 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and their families Coverage: National Timeframe: Ongoing Contact details: Website: www.facs.gov.au Responsible Agency: Family and Community Services Youth Activities Services Programme The Youth Activities Services Program consists of Youth Activities Services (YAS) and YAS Family Liaison Workers (FLW.) The YAS provide activities, generally after school, to adolescents living in disadvantaged areas. The YAS program supports young people and their families through offering positive peer support and creative and challenging alternatives to activities that place young people at risk. The program helps to prevent young people from developing and continuing with patterns of behaviour that place them at risk of disconnecting from their families and community and which may have long term effects on their family relationships, schooling and labour force participation. The FLW program supports young people and their families by helping them deal with issues affecting their well being as a family through offering positive practical support and guidance. The FLW fills an identified service gap between YAS and other intensive support and counselling services currently available Target Group: Young people aged 11-16 years living in disadvantaged areas, who still live at home and attend school. 19 YAS/FLW services identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people as their target group. Coverage: There are 90 YAS and 83 FLWs across Australia Timeframe: Ongoing Contact details: Assistant Secretary Youth Bureau, Programs Branch, FaCS Ph: 02 62129437 Website: www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/aboutfacs/programs/youth-yas_flw_good_practice.htm Responsible Agency: Family and Community Services Job Placement, Employment and Training
Programme (JPET) JPET provides a holistic approach to assisting young people overcome problems preventing them from maintaining stable accommodation and entering into full-time education, training or employment. JPET offers ongoing support and referral services to young people to help them overcome a range of problems, including housing, substance abuse, family difficulties, sexual or other abuse, lack of self esteem, income support, and other barriers to employment, education or training. The most common strategies implemented across all target groups are personal support, job search assistance and training assistance. Income advocacy and financial assistance were also common strategies. 136 agencies deliver services throughout Australia. Target Group: JPET assists students and unemployed young people between 15-21 years who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless (with priority to be given to those aged 15-19 and to homeless young people). Assistance is also provided to young people who are/or have been wards of the State, are refugees or have been in the juvenile justice system. Coverage: National Timeframe: Ongoing Contact details: Website: http://jpet.facs.gov.au/ Responsible Agency: Family and Community Services Australians Working Together - Helping people to move forward is a major package of initiatives offering significant support and services to help people to help themselves. Young job seekers will benefit from many Australians Working Together (AWT) initiatives announced in the 2001-02 Budget. Young people will also benefit from the improvements to employment services under AWT. AWT builds on the Government's employment assistance and mutual obligation policies that have attracted widespread support amongst participants and the broader community. The new system is providing improved personalised assessment and service, more opportunities for training and work experience, better incentives, and reasonable requirements for people to find work, increase their earnings or contribute to their communities. Centrelink will be the gateway to the new system. Centrelink Personal Advisers will provide a high level of service to people needing additional help to overcome personal or other barriers. Under AWT young people will have access to more places in Literacy and Numeracy Training, Job Search Training, and Work for the Dole and can earn Training Credits by participating in Work for the Dole and Community Work. Vulnerable and at risk young people will benefit from the better assessment processes in Intensive Assistance and the linkages between Intensive Assistance and other programmes. Young people will also benefit from other initiatives such as the Working Credit (which encourages people on income support to take up full-time, substantial part-time or casual work) and the new Personal Support Programme (designed to help people with problems such as homelessness, and drug and alcohol addiction) that replaces the Community Support Programme. Coverage: National Timeframe: July 2001 - June 2005 Contact details: together@dewrsb.gov.au Initiative Website address: http://www.together.gov.au/ Responsible Agency: Shared policy responsibility between Family and Community Services, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, and Department of Education, Science and Training Centrelink Personal Advisers Under Australians Working Together a range of initiatives will be available to those young jobseekers that are indigenous or have special needs. AWT draws on Centrelink's capability to provide a range of assessment tools and its brokering role to assist individuals to improve their economic and social participation in the community. It is recognised that a vast majority of programs are delivered by non-government organisations. A major change with the implementation of AWT is the introduction of 850 new Centrelink Personal Advisers, in order to ensure people's needs are assessed better, so that they get the right assistance. Centrelink Personal Advisers will provide extra help to assist some young people with special needs to get a job or participate as possible in their community. This will involve the formation of partnerships with non-government groups, outside experts and its customers to provide the right help. Target Group: Various Coverage: National Timeframe: Ongoing Contact details: Website: www.centrelink.gov.au/ Responsible Agency: Family and Community Services and Centrelink Youth Allowance - Service Profiling Trials From April 2002, Centrelink will pilot the application of customer profiling to the circumstances of 350 Youth Allowance recipients in selected sites in Western Sydney, South-East Queensland, Melbourne and Adelaide. The 350 customers will be identified for assistance in the areas of correctness of payment, Activity Test compliance, appropriate interventions and support for young people at risk and improving the social and economic participation of young people. Young people identified for additional assistance will be both job seekers and students. The purpose of the trials is to establish the likelihood of the service profiling methodology to achieve effective program outcomes and determine the effectiveness of an approach to customer management based on service profiling. The interventions applied will be appropriate to the needs of the young people and will include the provision of information, advice and where appropriate, support from social workers. Target Group: Jobseekers aged 15 to 20 and full time students aged 15 to 24 Coverage: Western Sydney, South-East Queensland, Melbourne, and Adelaide Timeframe: April-May 2002 Contact details: Website: www.facs.gov.au Responsible Agencies: Centrelink and Department of Family and Community Services Youth Allowance - Customer Profiling Service Profiling is a tool which will Centrelink will use to help to identify and increase contact with customers at most risk of receiving incorrect payment, while also tailoring services to individuals, and to improve opportunities for those most in need of assistance. Minister Vanstone announced service profiling for payment correctness on 15 October 2001. The aims for service profiling are to deliver a better set of program outcomes for the same cost, to improve customer service, and to realise program savings. Target Group: Youth Allowance recipients Coverage: National Timeframe: Phased implementation commencing 1 July 2002 Contact details: Website: www.facs.gov.au Responsible Agency: Centrelink and Department of Family and Community Services National Mental Health Strategy (NMHS) -
Kids Helpline Kids Help Line provides a national telephone counselling service for young people aged 5 to 18 years. The non-government, free, anonymous and confidential service aims to:
Target Group: All children and young people aged 5 to 18 years. Coverage: National Timeframe: Contact Details: Website: www.kidshelp.com.au/ Responsible Agency: Department of Health and Ageing National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS) The funding of the NSPS reflects the federal government commitment to build on the former National Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy. The NSPS will maintain a focus on young people while expanding suicide prevention activity across the lifespan. A national policy document titled Living Is For Everyone (LIFE): A framework for prevention of suicide and self-harm in Australia has been developed with considerable community input. It aims to foster strategic partnerships and to position suicide prevention effort across all sectors. The framework was released in October 2000 and widely distributed. The Minister for Health and Aged Care has established the National Advisory Council on Suicide Prevention. Target Group: All Australians Coverage: National Timeframe: 1999-00 to 2004-05 Contact Details: Website: www.mentalhealth.gov.au Responsible Agency: Department of Health and Ageing National Mental Health Strategy (NMHS)
and National Suicide Prevention Strategy - MindMatters: National Mental
Health Promotion Schools Program MindMatters is a mental health promotion program for all Australian secondary schools (2000-2003). The program recognises that the mental and emotional health and well-being of young people is fundamental to their academic, vocational and social competence. The program was developed to enhance school environments where young people feel safe, valued, engaged and purposeful. It provides a range of teaching resources, supported by professional development activities and a website. The program also helps schools develop strong links with counselling and support services in the community. Progress on the project to date includes:
StudentMatters will complement MindMatters and aims to improve referral and service provision for high-risk students in MindMatters schools. This initiative aims to develop a strategy that will help interested MindMatters schools to work more effectively with at risk students. ParentMatters aims to ensure that parents in MindMatters schools are able to effectively participate in parenting and supporting their adolescent children, including when treatment for mental health problems is required. Work on this program is about to commence. CommunityMatters is a key component of the Indigenous strategy of MindMatters, CommunityMatters is a whole school resource that addresses cultural diversity, addressing issues such as community, culture, identity and wellbeing. Target Group: Young people and young adults and their parents. Coverage: National Timeframe: 2000-2003 Contact Details: Website: cms.curriculum.edu.au/mindmatters Responsible Agency: Department of Health and Ageing National Suicide Prevention
Strategy - Reach Out! Reach Out! (http://www.reachout.asn.au/home.jsp) is an initiative of the Inspire Foundation, and is a web-based service to assist young people going through difficult times. The purpose of the Reach Out! Website is to assist young people, their families, friends and the general community in contact with young people going through difficult times, to gain information, self-referral and general support through a youth-oriented medium. Reach Out! averages in excess of 30,000 visitors each month (unique user sessions), with each person spending an average of 12-15 minutes in Reach Out! each visit. Reachout! also run RORRT (Reachout! Rural and Remote Tour) involving touring rural Australia and encouraging young people to express themselves and to constructively discuss mental health and suicide prevention issues utilizing the Reach Out! Internet medium. Target Group: Young people, young adults, their family and friends Coverage: National Timeframe: 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 Contact Details: Website: http://www.reachout.asn.au/home.jsp Responsible Agency: Department of Health and Ageing National Illicit Drugs Strategy (NIDS) The purpose of NIDS is to assist in preventing and reducing the use of illicit substances through a balanced package of measures aimed at reducing the supply of, and demand for, illicit drugs. Key demand reduction initiatives under NIDS include:
National Crime Prevention Program The National Crime Prevention Program's objectives are to identify and promote innovative ways of reducing and preventing crime and the fear of crime. The program includes both research and practical initiatives including national pilot projects, local prevention activities and communication and training initiatives. Priority issues include property crime; domestic and family violence and violence in Indigenous communities. A significant proportion of National Crime Prevention Program (NCP) funding is for early intervention initiatives with young people and their families under the Youth Crime and Families Strategy. National projects focusing on young people include those addressing public space, public events, domestic violence, truancy, bullying, early intervention and homeless youth. Research reports are already available on the domestic violence, early intervention, homelessness and use of public space. To date key youth related initiatives under the programme include:
Target Groups: The target groups vary from project to project. Coverage: National Timeframe: 2000 - 2003 Responsible Agency: Attorney-General's Department Website: www.law.gov.au Young People and Domestic Violence
The research project surveyed young people's experience of and attitude to wards domestic violence. It is the largest piece of research of its kind ever conducted in Australia. The chief research aim was to allow quantitative and qualitative data to be used in developing a comprehensive picture of young people's experiences. This has enabled the Government to tailor programs to target young Australians most at risk of physical harm due to domestic violence and from cyclical effects of a history of exposure to domestic violence. The report highlights the gender disparity commonly recognised in domestic violence and reflected in criminal statistics with girls experiencing higher levels of being frightened by intimate aggression and sexual assault. The research reinforces the need for policies that recognise the differences that exist in the community and the different levels and forms of violence that also takes account of gender disparity.
The 12-month pilot project began in March 2001. In September 2001 the Government agreed to further funding for an 18 month extension of the project. Target Group: Policy makers and practitioners. Young indigenous people in rural/remote community Coverage: Report available nationally. Timeframe: 2001 - June 2003 Responsible Agency: Attorney-General's Department Website: www.law.gov.au |
