Working collaboratively to highlight the voices of young people in Townsville

Youth crime and crime prevention have been the focus of media attention and policy reforms in Australia. Recent inquiries, reports and reforms have brought about policy changes in the youth justice field, including engaging young people through diversionary services. The Lighthouse operated by the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service is an afterhours diversionary youth service. In this paper we present and discuss the current youth justice policy and funding context that led to the establishment of The Lighthouse, the service delivery model and practice of The Lighthouse, and report on the research collaboration, establishment, procedure and current status. We then describe a research collaboration between The Lighthouse and social work academics from James Cook University ('JCU'), based on research needs identified by The Lighthouse staff. This research is focused on exploring the voices of young people about service delivery, experiences and needs and mentoring Indigenous leadership. The collaborative research process and endeavours will be described and interim findings of the collaborative research presented

Using photography to voice young people's views about community and local service delivery

Youth offending has received significant attention in recent years in Queensland and across Australia. While the voices of young people who are offending or at risk of offending are evident in some studies, other reports do not identify them as key stakeholders. A recent university-industry research collaboration sought to prioritise the voices of young people engaging with The Lighthouse, a diversionary service within Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Heath Services (TAIHS), through use of qualitative, Photovoice methods. The primary aim of this photovoice project was to capture the perceptions and needs of young people currently at risk of offending, and to document those views to help shape local service delivery. A thematic analysis enabled the identification of four key themes. These themes identified that participants felt unsafe and under surveillance in public spaces; they wanted more amenities where they could enjoy being in the community with their peers; they reported that peers and family were very important to them; and they appreciated services on offer at The Lighthouse and acknowledged these services supported behavioural change. The findings provide a unique contribution to the use of creative research methodologies, and to policy and service delivery focused on young people at risk of offending

The voices of “at risk” young people about services they received: a systematic literature review

In Australia young people who are at risk of offending have attracted much media and policy attention. In recent times, policy reform has seen increased funding for social services delivery to support young people at risk of entering, or are currently in, the juvenile justice system. However, there is limited literature that explores how young people experience services delivered to them. This article reports on a systematic literature review exploring the voices of children and youth on social service delivery for young people who have offended or are at risk of offending. The review aimed to identify English language publications in the fifteen-year period from 2004 to 2018, critique their methodological quality, and analyse and describe the findings of identified studies. Through a search of electronic social sciences databases twelve (n = 12) eligible publications were identified, including six qualitative studies, one quantitative study and five reports. The review highlighted a scarcity of research on this topic but provided evidence about how young people who are at risk of offending experienced social services, and their recommendations for effective service delivery. Implication Statement •Practitioners need to create supportive, caring and respectful environments that facilitate young people’s agency and self-determination; •Young people need information and clarification but may not ask for it; •Experiences of racism need to be acknowledged and racist attitudes actively addressed. An easy read poster has been developed on the recommendation of practice-based research partners to highlight the implications for practice

The Lighthouse Guide to Working with Young People

This Easy Read poster reports results of a systematic literature review exploring the voices of children and youth on social service delivery for young people who have offended or are at risk of offending. Through a search of electronic social sciences databases twelve (n=12) eligible publications were identified, including six qualitative studies, one quantitative study and five reports. The review highlighted a scarcity of research on this topic but provided evidence about how young people who are at risk of offending experienced social services, and their recommendations for effective service delivery. The data anaylis identified six themes:Supportive & Caring Relationships; Importance of Peers; Respectful Engagement; Dealing with Racism; Information & Clarification and Agency & Empathy. This easy read post was developed on the recommendation of practice-based research partners to highlight the implications for practice