Today’s the day. You probably will have seen and heard considerable media coverage about OPCAT supposedly going live in Australia today. Unfortunately, the ongoing tug of war between the Commonwealth and State/Territory governments about funding means our office is unable to implement the new functions.
It has been a big year and at the Office of the Guardian for Children and Young People we are humbled to be listeners and advocates to the many children and young people who reach out and connect throughout the year.
I still consider myself a newbie to the roles of Guardian, Child and Young Person’s Visitor and Training Centre Visitor, with four months having passed since I began. All I can say, four months in: I am worried… and you should be too.
A new report sharing the lived experiences of young people who have transitioned from child protection and the youth justice systems has found that young people are having to leave systems without adequate preparation for life.
With 8 weeks left before independent OPCAT oversight aimed at preventing abuse or mistreatment in places like youth detention centres and police cells is set to come into force, Australian governments are still not ready.
Staffing shortages and protocols aimed at limiting the spread of covid have exacerbated the fraught environment at Kurlana Tapa, according to the latest Training Centre Visitor Annual Report.
A $2.4 million investment by the state government is hoping to ease the pressure of young people facing homelessness and reconnecting them to their families.
Do you have a child or young person in your care who would like to ask a question to Shona, the new Guardian?
The power of food and the role it plays in our everyday lives often goes unnoticed. But for the children and young people within Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre, their food-related experiences are very different.
As I settle into my new roles, I am greatly aware of the huge honour it is to take on the very important work of Guardian, Training Centre Visitor and Child and Young Person’s Visitor.
We acknowledge and respect Aboriginal People as the traditional owners
and custodians of the land we live and work on, their living culture and their unique role in the life of South Australia.