An independent evaluation has found that the state government’s Youth Co-Responder Teams (YCRT) program is contributing to reduced offending.
Youth co-responder teams involve a Department of Youth Justice (DYJ) officer and a police officer working collaboratively, to engage with young people who are at risk of offending, their siblings and families and refers them to services and supports to help them address the underlying issues contributing to their offending behaviour.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive that Queensland Police Service (QPS) and Department of Youth Justice (YJ) staff work collaboratively by sharing information and mutual knowledge and capability transfer.
The evaluation found that Youth Co-Responder Teams were a key connector to services and that:
Young people were less likely to commit serious crimes after engaging with YCRTs.
The total number of breaking and entering; illegal use of a motor vehicle; and theft (excluding motor vehicle) offences decreased substantially.
The greatest reduction in re-offending was with serious repeat offenders. The most serious offenders saw a 73 per cent reduction in the number of offences committed 6 months post engagement with YCRTs.
Youth responsible for an average of 25 offences in the six months before engaging with Youth Co-Responder Teams dropped to an average of 7 offences in the 6 months post engagement.
Most YCRT interactions occur outside of standard Youth Justice business hours, with the 2pm to 10pm shift seeing the greatest activity (49 per cent).
Youth Co-Responder Teams, together with other responses including Intensive Case Management, Restorative Justice Conferencing, providing grants to local community organisations and broader initiatives under the Community Safety Plan, were found to have contributed to a reduction in the number of serious repeat offenders who re-offend by 14 per cent since October 2023.
Youth Co-Responder Teams reach around 6000 young people a month across 13 locations – Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Moreton, and Logan, Mackay, Gold Coast, and Brisbane North, Mount Isa, Fraser Coast, Ipswich, Toowoomba and South Brisbane.
The 2024-25 Queensland Budget included an $11.2 million investment over two years to increase the capacity of the successful Youth Co-Responder Team initiative, delivering additional vehicles to hot spots in Cairns and the Gold Coast, as well as new Youth Co-Responder Teams on the Sunshine Coast and in the South West district to engage with young people at risk of offending behaviour and their families.
“We want our kids to have the best start in life, which the evidence shows reduces offending. That’s why we are investing in local solutions that tackle the root causes of young offending,” Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer said.
The YCRT evaluation can be found at desbt.qld.gov.au/youth-justice/research-evaluations/evaluations/ycrts/
