The Youth Justice drug policy and strategy Youth Services and Youth Justice Branch, Office for Children, Department of Human Services, April 2007

Transcription

1 The Youth Justice drug policy and strategy Youth Services and Youth Justice Branch, Office for Children, Department of Human Services, April 2007

2 Published by the Victorian Government Department of Human Services Melbourne, Victoria Copyright State of Victoria April 2007 This publication is copyright, no part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act This document may also be downloaded from the Department of Human Services intranet site at: First published July 2005 Updated April 2007 Authorised by the State Government of Victoria, 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne.

3 1. Introduction The context Why a Youth Justice drug policy and strategy? Youth Justice Profile of the client group The policy context What the literature tells us Youth Justice drug policy The Youth Justice drug policy Principles underpinning the Youth Justice drug policy The Youth Justice drug strategy The aim and goals of the Youth Justice drug strategy Scope of the Youth Justice drug strategy Timeframe for the Youth Justice drug strategy Priority areas for action Making the strategy work Monitoring the strategy Page 3

4 1. Introduction The goal of the Youth Justice drug policy is to assist young people to stop using drugs. This policy position results from a systematic exploration of the needs of young people who are involved in the youth justice system and who use drugs. The Youth Justice drug strategy articulates the way forward to better meet their needs in regard to achieving a drug free lifestyle and reduce the likelihood of them reoffending. This policy has been informed by and is consistent with established Government drug treatment policies. The document is in two parts. The first part is contextual and sets the rationale for the development of the Youth Justice Drug Policy and Strategy and the context in which it sits. The second part of the document is the Youth Justice Drug Policy and Strategy (sections 3 and 4) 2. The context 2.1 Why a Youth Justice drug policy and strategy? A range of practices have existed across the community and custodial Youth Justice systems to provide assessment, treatment and interventions for young people whose lives are affected by drug or alcohol use. Historically, these systems have varied in methodology and intent. A research project undertaken in 1999, commissioned by Drug Treatment Services and undertaken by Pead, Morton and Hamilton 1, focused on identifying best practice models for Youth Justice Centres to apply with young people with problematic substance abuse. The researchers identified that although the quality of the services was good, they were not delivered in a planned manner nor part of a coherent continuum of services. The project identified the need for an articulated Youth Justice Drug Strategy to be applied to drug use and offending by young people in both custodial and community settings. This finding resonated with Youth Services and Youth Justice Branch, which had recognised the need to provide enhanced guidance to staff on practice issues relating to drugs and alcohol. The articulation of a policy position is the commencement point in the design of a comprehensive, coordinated approach to the management of drug and alcohol related issues within the Victorian youth justice sector and will supersede current local policy. This Policy and Strategy has been developed through a consultative process with the Youth Justice sector and key stakeholders across the drug treatment sector and informed by a Literature Review 2 and a Youth Justice Best Practice Review 3. 1 Towards Best Practice Drug Services In Juvenile Justice Centres, Pead, Morton & Hamilton, DHS Youth Justice drug strategy literature search and review DHSl Juvenile Justice best practice review DHS

5 2.2 Youth Justice The Department of Human Services is responsible for a wide range of services to diverse client groups across Victoria. The principal function of the Department of Human Services is to ensure the delivery of a range of health, housing and community services. Youth Justice is a program within the Office for Children Division of the Department of Human Services. Youth Justice provides case-managed services to young people on court orders requiring statutory supervision in Victoria, as well as advice to the court. Youth Justice is separate to adult corrections. Victoria is unique in having a dual track custodial sentencing option for young people aged 18 to 20 years. As an alternative to prison and after assessment for suitability, adult courts can order 18 to 20 year olds to serve their sentence in a Youth Justice Centre. This is designed to prevent early entry into adult prison for vulnerable and lower risk offenders. Entry to the Youth Justice program is through three court systems: the Children s Court, Criminal Division, for young people who offended when aged 10 years or older but younger than 18 years. adult courts for year olds for custodial sentences only. via the Supreme and County Court (under the powers of the Children s Court) for young people under 18 years of age on indictable offences. Community-based Youth Justice Units are located across the nine departmental regions. They provide: Court advice to the Children s Court and adult courts, including the preparation of Pre-Sentence Reports and other reports. Supervision and support for young people appearing before the courts on supervised bail or deferral of sentence. Case managed services for young people who have been placed on a community-based order by a court requiring Youth Justice supervision. Statutory supervision of and support for young people released on parole from Youth Justice Centres and Youth Residential Centres. The Victorian Youth Justice program operates three custodial facilities: Parkville Youth Residential Centre - 10 to 20 year old sentenced or remanded young women - 10 to 14 year old sentenced or remanded boys. Melbourne Youth Justice Centre (MYJC) - 15 to 18 year old sentenced or remanded males; - 18 to 20 year old sentenced males 4 4 Clients who have been remanded to the Youth Justice system by the Criminal Division of the Children s Court prior to turning 17, may remain in MYJC subsequent to turning 17 and until the finalisation of the court hearing. During 2002/03 and 2003/04 (to March) this occurred on 53 occasions. (On 1 July 2005 the age jurisdiction of the Criminal 5

6 Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre - primarily18 to 20 year old sentenced males. 2.3 Profile of the client group A snapshot profile of young people involved in the Victorian Youth Justice system was gained via the Youth Justice Client Census 5 that was undertaken on 9 July Data collected provided an overview of client characteristics and an opportunity to consider the interface between drug use and crime. On the day of the census there were 911 clients reported within the Youth Justice system; 781 young people were managed by Youth Justice Units (Community) and 130 were in custody (Custody). Age Across both custodial and community client groups 67 percent of 887 valid entries were aged between years of age (community 70 percent of 764 valid entries were aged years, custody 81 percent of 123 valid entries were aged years). Gender At least 84 percent of the Youth Justice client population was male. Protective Services involvement At least 41 percent of the 911 clients had previous notifications to Child Protection Services. Drug and alcohol issues It was reported that 48 percent of the total client group had drugs and alcohol linked to their offence (72 percent of custodial clients and 43 percent of community clients). It was reported that 45 percent of clients were under the influence of drugs/alcohol at the time of their offence (69 percent of custodial clients and 41 percent of community clients). It was reported that 22 percent of clients committed a crime to support drug/alcohol use (48 percent of young people in custody and 17.4 percent of community based clients). Trafficking of drugs without being a user was reported as being 1.4 percent of the total client group and sex related crimes to support drug/alcohol use was reported as 0.5 percent. Division of the Children s Court changed. A child is defined as a person who at the time of the alleged offence was under 18 years but of or above the age of 10 years, but does not include any person who is of or above 19 years when a proceeding for the offence is commenced in the court.) 5 Juvenile Justice Client Census, July This data is a snapshot of client information obtained by Youth Justice staff completing a questionnaire n each client under their supervision/responsibility. Information was based on worker knowledge of the client, file information and at times, discussion with the client. The observations are based on valid entries for each respective attribute that was analysed. Where responses were illogical or clearly an error that cannot be confidently rectified, those responses are described as invalid entries. Note that a significant proportion of invalid responses may skew the resulting trend and observations. Contradiction in responses to different questions were found within some records, particularly in terms of drug use. At this stage of the analysis, observations are confined to each individual question. 6

7 Types of drugs used It was reported that: 73 percent of young people drank alcohol 55 percent used cannabis 15 percent chromed/inhaled 14 percent used amphetamines 9 percent used opiates Approximately 90 percent of community clients who used drugs and alcohol used up to three different types of drugs and alcohol. Approximately 90 percent of custodial clients who used drugs and alcohol used up to six types of drugs and alcohol 6. Trends in use 30 percent of the total Youth Justice population with valid response (867 valid) were reported as having problematic drug/ alcohol use. 37 percent were reported as recreational drug/alcohol users. 9 percent were regarded as experimental drug/alcohol users. 25 percent were reported as not having drug/alcohol issues. Custodial clients had a higher rate of problematic drug/alcohol use than community-based clients. Community-based clients demonstrated a higher rate of experimental drug/alcohol use than custodial clients. 2.4 The policy context Federal The National Drug Strategic Framework was introduced in 1993 and is in place until It is a comprehensive approach to address the issues relating to drug use. The policy approach has five key elements: 1. Harm minimisation 2. Drug control 3. Intersectoral approach 4. International cooperation 5. Evaluation and accountability. The recently released parliamentary inquiry report Road to Recovery heralds a move toward harm prevention. Controversial amongst drug treatment service providers, it remains unclear to what extent the recommendations of this report will impact upon the Victorian context. State 6 It should be noted that the custodial clients are older on average than community clients. 7

8 Following on from the National Drug Strategic Framework, Victoria adopted a five-year Drug Strategic Plan in Part of this Strategic Plan was the development of the service model as documented in Victoria s Drug Treatment Services: Framework for Service Delivery 7, which outlines the sixteen key service types that comprise the service system. The Labor Government s policy platform, A New Approach; Labor s Plan to Tackle the Drugs Crisis outlined the whole-of-government approach to address issues related to drugs. The strategy has four key components: 1. Preventing drug abuse: Student support to keep young people at school and minimise engagement in risky behaviours. Youth jobs package to maximise a smooth transition from school to vocational training or work. 2. Saving lives: Drug safety education. Mobile overdose response services. Alternatives to methadone. 3. Getting lives back on track: Treatment and rehabilitation linking back into education, training and employment. Specific criminal justice focus. 4. Effectively policing the drugs trade: Additional law enforcement resources targeting commercial traffickers and importers of drugs. Harm minimisation has been the cornerstone of the state and national drug strategies since the 1980s and aims to reduce the adverse health, economic and social consequences of drug use for individuals and society. Prohibition may be part of such policy, but only if it can be demonstrated to contribute to the overall aim of reducing the harms associated with drug use 8. Department of Human Services The Department of Human Services is currently in the process of developing departmental-wide policy regarding harm minimisation, including a conceptual framework for the development of strategies across a number of DHS program areas, and an overarching policy statement for young people under care. 9 This will provide overarching policy to underpin program specific responses Victoria s alcohol drug treatment services: Framework for service delivery, Drug Treatment Services, Aged, Community and Mental Health Division, Department of Human Services 8 From the Drug Treatment Services web site September The Cross Departmental Harm Minimisation Framework Project Drug Treatment Services, DHS 10 Youth Justice custodial facilities have developed individual policies and procedures regarding harm minimisation. These will be superseded by the Youth Justice Drug Policy and Strategy and the Youth Justice custodial services operations manual, which is currently under development. Departmental policy regarding client inhalant use is articulated in Management response to inhalant use. Although this policy specifically relates to the use of inhalants, the Office for Children policy position regarding illicit drugs and substance use has also been set via this document. The policy states that: No illicit drugs are allowed on premises 8

9 2.5 What the literature tells us A literature review was undertaken at the commencement of the Youth Justice drug strategy project. The purpose of the literature review was to provide a context from which to consider issues relating to drugs, crime and young people Key findings Be preventative where possible. Services for young people need a specific youth focus. Services need to be coordinated and integrated. Services and treatment should be holistic in design. Screening, assessment and treatment must be timely. Services need to be long-term and provide aftercare for young people. Skilled and collaborative case management is a core component of successful treatment. Focus on building greater capacity within youth justice staff. Provide rewards for young people s positive progress. The transition from custody to the community must be planned and managed. Balanced and restorative justice provides an appropriate framework for service delivery to young people. Relationships for young people minimise risk factors; these may need to be created and significant effort put in to their maintenance. Involve and empower the family of the young person. Enhanced practical skills will promote resiliency and strengthen protective factors in the young person. Provide the choice of gender-specific interventions for young women Implications for Youth Justice All children and young people with substance use issues must be referred to drug and alcohol treatment services Children and young people are not permitted to have non-prescribed inhalants in their possession or use such inhalants in residential care facilities Strategies relying on passive observation of clients using substances are not permitted Community service organisations are expected to do everything reasonable and consistent with safe work practices to stop young people from using non-prescribed inhalants, remove inhaling implements as soon as possible, and to reinforce that using non-prescribed inhalants is not permitted In situations where children and young people present to the residential care facility in a substance affected state our duty of care remains to ensure that they are appropriately assisted. 9

10 The findings of the literature review confirm the view that coordinated, collaborative and developmentally-appropriate intervention provides the best results when working with young people. Broad preventative and protective factors, such as skill enhancement and relationship-building, develop resilience and strengths in the young person, which supports their progress through the challenging developmental period Gaps in the literature: There was a dearth of evidenced-based research or articles regarding young people involved within the justice system and few links between the three key elements of this policy and strategy, namely young people, crime and drugs. Minimal information was found relating to: Drug policy in the youth justice field. Drug treatment in custodial settings. Drug detection and deterrence methods within custodial settings. Harm minimisation within a custodial or residential environment. The balance between duty of care, drug treatment and harm minimisation. Suggestions are made in the literature regarding problem identification, but few offer solution. Many articles proposing drug treatment programs for young people are not in a position to provide evidence-based evaluation of their programs Implications for Youth Justice The scarcity of literature to guide the development of the Youth Justice drug policy and strategy means that the department needs to adopt a learning approach that is dynamic, evolutionary and responsive. The implementation of the outcomes arising from the Strategy affords Youth Justice the opportunity to put systems in place for the development of an evidence-base in Victorian. 10

11 3. Youth Justice drug policy 3.1 The Youth Justice drug policy The Youth Justice drug policy has been informed by a comprehensive literature review. It draws on evidence of best practice and the practice wisdom of the drug strategy steering group, to provide clear and enabling direction for staff. The policy is intended as a foundation for a range of operational guidelines for both the community and custodial sectors. The overriding goal of the Youth Justice drug policy is to assist young people to stop using drugs. This goal is based on the belief that the use of drugs by young people is often illegal, detrimental to their health and wellbeing, and subsequently to that of the wider community. This goal is made more complex by the youth justice context, as we need to strike a balance between the goal of abstinence, rehabilitative imperatives and strategies to keep the young person well. Youth Justice is committed to pursuing this goal while implementing strategies that ensure the safety of young people in our care. The Department of Human Services has a non-delegable duty to take reasonable care of statutory clients. The Department owes a duty of care to its clients and others who are reasonably likely to be affected by the Department s activities. This may include family members of our clients, neighbours and so forth. In the context of drug use, duty of care requires thorough assessment and service provision to address drug use and to promote health and wellbeing. This pathway towards abstinence will be multifaceted and different for each individual. Youth Justice clients are marginalised, vulnerable members of society. They present with varying and complex issues that require a multifaceted service response to meet our duty of care responsibilities. They are also young: adolescent drug-taking takes place in the context of a range of risk-taking and experimental behaviours. Youth Justice is committed to ensuring that responses to drug use are developmentally and age-appropriate, in line with community expectations. The literature also highlights that drug and alcohol use by young people has an impact on their development. In many cases, substance use by young people has escalated from experimental and recreational use to problematic use. Although the Youth Justice drug policy endorses preventative and early intervention, problematic use forms the focus of this policy. Youth Justice fulfils its primary care obligations by: Assisting clients towards a drug free lifestyle Striking a balance between the goal of abstinence and practicalities concerning the health, safety and survival of the young person. Protecting young people by ensuring access to treatment, information, education and support. Building resilience and protective factors in young people and actively minimising risk factors. Taking an individual approach by focusing intervention on the needs of the young person. Meeting public health obligations by minimising risk factors for the transmission of blood-borne viruses. 11

12 Ensuring that drugs are not tolerated in custodial centres or on the premises of community-based Youth Justice Units. Preventing drugs from entering custodial environments by employing controlling barriers. Implementing mandated services and monitoring compliance. 3.2 Principles underpinning the Youth Justice drug policy A range of principles underpin this policy, as follows: No drugs in custodial facilities or in Youth Justice Units. The overriding responsibility of Youth Justice is to address the offending behaviour of its clients and reduce their likelihood of recidivism. Youth Justice works with young people for a limited period, as specified by their court order. A key role of Youth Justice staff is to assist the young person to foster connectedness in their community and locate longer-term supports. The pathway from drug use to abstinence is not easy to navigate. A range of strategies to keep the young person safe and well on their journey towards abstinence need to apply beyond the Youth Justice order. The Department of Human Services has an enhanced level of responsibility for young people in custodial care. Youth Justice seeks opportunities to inform the community about the complexities of young people and offending. Young people who offend are marginalised and frequently have experienced family violence, sexual abuse, poverty and homelessness and need support and opportunities. Timely linkages with the drug treatment service sector supports engagement with the young person. Drug and alcohol services and interventions are most effectively delivered to young people in a holistic and individualised manner. Drug and alcohol services should be targeted to those young people who have been assessed as having a high need. Drug and alcohol intervention with young people should focus on the functionality of their behaviour and causal factors, as well as treatment aimed at reducing or stopping the use of drugs. Drug and alcohol use is often cyclical and relapsing. Interventions may need to be applied repeatedly before change is achieved. Transition planning is crucial. Continuity of service provision should be via a through-care model to minimise the negative impact of key transition points, including leaving custody and beyond the intervention of Youth Justice. As trends in substance use and intervention are dynamic, an evolutionary approach should be adopted. 12

13 The needs of young women within the youth justice system are diverse and differ significantly from their male counterparts of the same age and background. Koorie young people are over-represented in the youth justice system and experience an accelerated rate of progress through the system. Young Koorie people have particular needs that require a specific service response. Youth Justice must be aware of, and responsive to, issues relating to a young person s ethnicity. Every effort must be made to ensure interventions are culturally appropriate. Youth Justice must provide leadership in working effectively with multicultural communities and with young women. 13

14 4. The Youth Justice drug strategy 4.1 The aim and goals of the Youth Justice drug strategy The Youth Justice drug strategy aims to provide young people on statutory orders with a comprehensive range of holistically delivered interventions based on a rehabilitative framework, with the goal of achieving a drug-free life style. More specifically, the goals of the Youth Justice drug strategy are: To operationalise the Youth Justice drug policy. To provide a coherent, coordinated response to drugs across the youth justice sector. To identify gaps for future development and provide a blueprint for action. To strengthen key stakeholder and community confidence in Youth Justice by demonstrating a cohesive plan. 4.2 Scope of the Youth Justice drug strategy This strategy relates to both the community and custodial sections of the Youth Justice program and covers both Operations Division and Office for Children staff. The strategy focuses on the responsibilities of departmental staff in their work with young people and in key relationships with the Adolescent Forensic Health Service, drug treatment service providers and community organisations. While the Youth Justice drug strategy may have implications for alcohol, prescribed medication and tobacco, the primary focus for this strategy is illicit drugs. 4.3 Timeframe for the Youth Justice drug strategy This strategy is evolutionary in nature and provides the foundation areas for action. It is anticipated that further target areas will be identified throughout the implementation of the strategy. The strategy has a four-year timeframe from 2004 to Priority areas for action Four key areas have been identified for coordinated action. They cover both community-based and custodial youth justice services. Custodial facilities have a separate action area to ensure a focus on items specific to that system Priority Area 1 Supporting, advising and training staff 14

15 Rationale for action A number of localised policies and procedural guidelines are in place for staff, however, few are formulated on a statewide perspective. This has led to inconsistencies across the youth justice service system. Although thoughtful examination of the issues has underpinned development, not all work is based on evidence of best practice. The small Youth Justice Staff Training Program has struggled to meet the competing demands across the sector. As a result, areas of training need, such as drug education for the custodial and community-based workforce has been inconsistent. What is currently in place? The three custodial centres have local policies and operational guidelines in place including relationship with the health services. The Youth Justice Case Practice Manual. The Youth Justice Training Calendar. Taking it forward Provide custodial staff with clear direction on procedures via the implementation of the Youth Justice Centres Operations Manual 11. Undertake a project to develop a Risk/Needs Tool, as recommended by the Rehabilitation Review 12 Update the Youth Justice Case Practice Manual and include specific procedures on drug and alcohol issues. Develop standards for Youth Justice community system provision. Develop and implement additional Youth Justice guidelines to supplement the departmental Management response to inhalant use guidelines. Review current Youth Justice workforce planning to: identifying the current fit between responsibilities and training develop a staff training framework for Youth Justice staff for the period identify opportunities for cross-divisional training Identify opportunities for a cross-divisional workforce strategy. 11 The Youth Justice centre operation manual, which comprises 12 chapters, is being rolled out in chapter-based sections, commencing January2004 with a target completion date of August The Victorian Youth Justice rehabilitation review Day, Howells and Rickwood January

16 4.4.2 Priority Area 2 Drug treatment Rationale for action Within the current drug treatment service system, a number of barriers to collaborative, streamlined, consistent service delivery have been identified. There is broad inconsistency in the methodology underpinning service delivery across the drug treatment sector and within agencies, leading to difficulty in collaborative intervention. What is currently in place? Each custodial centre has drug treatment services delivered by the health teams. Community-based clients access a range of drug treatment agencies. Youth outreach support is the primary model accessed by young people within the Youth Justice system, supported by withdrawal and rehabilitation services. Youth Justice clients access pharmacotherapy, as appropriate. Taking it forward Jointly lead a project with Drug Treatment Services to review and redesign the mechanism for Youth Justice clients moving through the drug treatment, and the role of Australian Community Support Organisation Community Offenders Advice and Treatment Service (ACSO COATS) in the provision of alcohol and drug assessment and treatment. This work should include a statement of components of treatment and care to be delivered within a consistent framework for community, custody and the transition between. Jointly lead a project with Drug Treatment Services to investigate the mechanisms for appropriate exchange of information, in order to minimise duplication in assessment of young people requiring an alcohol and drug treatment response. Finalise and implement the model for service delivery with the Adolescent Forensic Health Service, including the implementation of a framework for health service monitoring. Implement the recommendations arising from the Youth Justice Pharmacotherapy Review 13 Establish a providers forum for agencies providing services to Youth Justice clients, to maximise consistency of frameworks and service delivery. Develop more effective partnerships with Mental Health Services, Department of Justice, the Office of Housing and generic sexual health services to proactively address the reoccurring issues n the Youth Justice client group. In this process, Youth Justice needs to market the rehabilitative focus of the youth justice system. Examine client safety strategies and opportunities within community and custodial settings. This work should be undertaken as a project incorporating all key stakeholders. 13 Youth Justice pharmacotherapy review - Silvia Alberti, Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre, July

17 4.4.3 Priority Area 3 Issues specific to custody Rationale for action There is the need for a more cohesive, statewide approach to service delivery across the three custodial centres. Furthermore, drugs need to be prevented from entering custodial facilities and detected if on site. What is currently in place? Health services deliver comprehensive primary health care for young people in custody. A broad range of psychosocial and specialist service delivery, including drug and alcohol counselling and psychiatric services, is provided to young people in custody. A pharmacotherapy program operates in each Youth Justice custodial facility. A range of measures are in place to prevent and detect drugs within custodial facilities. Taking it forward Confirm and implement a statewide approach to drug supply and demand reduction. Confirm and implement a statewide approach to drug detection and deterrence. Document a framework for response to drug use by young people in custodial settings, to ensure a consistent and equitable response. The response must have a clear link to treatment and include support needs for young people on leave. As a public health strategy, provide sharps containers in all Youth Justice custodial centres, in a space accessible to young people Priority Area 4 An individualised response Rationale for action In the Youth Justice system, there are many young people whose vulnerability is increased by their membership of specific sub-groups, including gender, cultural or linguistic diversity. These young people in particular, require a planned and consistent service framework which meets their needs, whilst retaining an individualised response. What is currently in place? The Youth Justice Centre Operations Manual provides specific procedures for Koorie young people in the areas of admission, health, case management, self-harm and isolation/observation. Parkville Youth Residential Centre Operations Manual, which will be superseded by the soon to be released Youth Justice Centre Operations Manual, provides a gender-specific ethos for service delivery to young women but operational guidelines do not stem from this 14. Parkville Youth 14 Parkville s Community residential and outreach program (CROP) Practice framework provides a discussion on issues specific to working with young women, including connectedness, isolation & loneliness, alienation, education, health, relationships, drug addiction and accommodation. 17

18 Residential Centre provides a mother and baby program. Taking it forward Youth Justice, in consultation with key service providers, to develop a drug action plan for young women in the youth justice system covering key community agency linkages and gender implications of drug use and crime. Youth Justice, in consultation with key service providers, to develop a framework for the delivery of drug-related services to young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The framework to include the use of interpreters, key community agency linkages, and cultural implications of drug use and crime. Under the auspice of the Koorie Youth Justice Program and in consultation with the Koorie Drug Treatment Program, develop a framework for the delivery of drug related services to Koorie young people in the youth justice system. Ensure the Youth Justice Staff Training Plan reflects the development of staff skill and knowledge regarding the above frameworks and action plans. Ensure systems are in place in both custodial and community sectors, to monitor the implementation of the above frameworks and action plans. 4.5 Making the strategy work Youth Justice has a strong commitment to ensuring the success of the Drug strategy and will maintain responsibility for ensuring the targets are achieved. A Steering Group, chaired by the Director, Youth Services and Youth Justice Branch, will oversee the implementation of the work plan arising from the strategy. Each priority area will be actioned by a working group. A template-based structure will ensure consistency in reporting on task achievement across the working groups. A high profile sponsor will lead each working group, comprised of key stakeholders, including: Operations Division Youth Services and Youth Justice Branch Custodial Staff Community-based staff Drug Treatment Services Adolescent Forensic Health Service Malmsbury Health Service Community drug treatment service providers. 4.6 Monitoring the strategy A monitoring process will oversee the implementation of the Youth Justice drug strategy in terms of achievement against the priority areas. 18

19 As the Drug strategy is evolutionary and dynamic, it will continue to develop in response to emerging issues in regarding drugs and drug treatment. The steering group will periodically review the strategy s implementation to ensure consistency with priority areas and integrity with the guiding principles. The client profile data from the Youth Justice Client Census 2003 will be the baseline for a comparative review. This will occur during the implementation period to identify and document the impact of the strategy on the Youth Justice client group. 19