Townsville’s intensive case managers making a difference

• Townsville’s intensive case management team to expand and help further reduce reoffending among high-risk young people
• A 2023 independent review of the Intensive Case Management program found there was a 51 per cent reduction in the frequency of offending and a 72 per cent reduction in the proportion of ‘crimes against the person’.
• The initiative forms part of a commitment to put community safety first with tougher action on youth crime and its causes.

Townsville’s intensive case management team will expand, allowing more direct, one-on-one work with young people with a high risk of reoffending.

The team in Townsville currently has 11 staff – including four intensive case managers who each provide interventions for up to five young people assessed to be at a high risk of reoffending and their families at a time.

The team will be expanded by a further four people to work intensively with young people and their families.

Intensive case managers work closely with young people aged 10 to 17, and their families, to help them become more accountable and change anti-social behaviours and attitudes, while they receive tailored programs to address their needs.

This typically includes getting teens back into education, helping their families to improve their parenting skills and their home environments, and connecting them to support services to tackle issues such drug and substance use.

The average amount of time for intensive case management is nine months.

This gives staff more time and capacity to deliver high intensity therapeutic interventions and wraparound support – which is more likely to reduce recidivism in high-risk young people.

The Townsville team have recently supported a teenager with a vulnerable background to re-engage with the education system and engage with On-Country program, and assist the teen’s siblings in connecting to skills, training and employment.

Queensland has the strongest youth justice laws in the nation to keep the community safe.

Young offenders will be held accountable for their actions, but they must also be given the opportunity to turn their lives around so that we don’t see them back in the system again. It’s why the Queensland Government is investing in programs like this that provide support.

A 2023 independent statewide evaluation of the program found 42 per cent of young people who completed the targeted intervention did not reoffend.

This includes cases of young people who had previously spent time in detention for serious offences. It also found a 51 per cent reduction in the frequency of offending and a 72 per cent reduction in the proportion of ‘crimes against the person’.

Townsville’s Intensive Case Management program began 12 months ago and has helped 30 young people and their families.

This expansion is just one of many measures introduced to support community safety following last year’s $100 million investment in youth justice intervention, diversionary and rehabilitation programs.

Quotes attributed to Minister for Youth Justice Di Farmer:

“We’ve got to make sure that we get young people in the youth justice system off a destructive path, so we can stop them from hurting the community and prevent them from eventually ending up in adult prison.

“Intensive case managers help families and walk alongside young people, giving them the guidance to divert them from a life of crime.

“Intensive case management holds a young person accountable for their offending behaviour, while also putting community safety first by tackling the complex factors that can contribute to offending.”

Quotes attributed to Member for Townsville, Scott Stewart MP

“Community safety in Townsville remains our absolute top priority.

“Townsville residents rightly expect that serious repeat offenders are held to account for the harm they cause, and that they are detained in youth detention centres when there is an unacceptable risk to community safety.

“But it’s not just detention for detention’s sake.

“We’ve also increased the intervention programs while offenders are in custody to break the cycle of criminal offending.”

Quotes attributed to Member for Thuringowa, Aaron Harper MP

“We’re throwing everything at this, with more resources for police and more programs to divert young people from the criminal justice system.

“Everyone wants a safer community which is why the government is doing everything it can.

“And so long as there is even one instance of criminal offending, the government will continue to throw everything at this.”

Quotes attributed to Member for Mundingburra, Les Walker MP

“We have strong penalties and severe consequences for those recidivist offenders who are causing the most harm to communities.

“We’ve strengthened bail laws which are now seeing youth offenders held in custody more often and for longer.

“At the same time, we remain firmly focused on tackling the complex causes of youth crime, giving a voice to victims and investing heavily in programs that are proven to be effective in reducing reoffending."

Further information:

The Intensive Case Management program began as a pilot in Caboolture to reduce reoffending among high-risk young people, drawing on internationally proven practices. It has since been progressively rolled out to 16 locations in Queensland.

An expansion of this service will enable the established team in Townsville to broaden the scope to surrounding areas.

Intensive case management complements other services including the youth co-responder team, which works to disrupt offending, provides referrals to drug and alcohol rehabilitation, health and education services and parenting support and supports bail compliance.

Intensive case management is supported by a range of funded services in Townsville including:

• On Country program – delivered by Gr8Motive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation
• YouGotThis! program – delivered by JT Academy
• Street Uni – delivered by Ted Noffs Foundation
• Townsville Flexible learning Centre – delivered by Edmund Rice

For more information visit Intensive case management evaluation | Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (desbt.qld.gov.au)

ENDS

Media contact – Gary Shipway 0458 090 906