Our Community Youth Diversion program provides young people who been in trouble with Police a second chance. Young people aged between 10 to 17 years are referred by Northern Territory Police Force or Court under the Youth Justice Act to participate in the program to divert from formal youth justice systems.
Through case management, the program aims to prevent future offending, stop young people going to prison, repairing harm, building strong supports around young people, and helping young people positively engage in the community.
Youth diversion is a restorative process that works to repair relationships between young people, people who have been impacted by crime and the community. At Gap Youth and Community Centre we support young people identify who has been hurt, how they have been hurt and what they can do to make things right again. This not only includes victims of crime but also a young person’s family and the wider community.
Every young person on the program is assessed by case workers and supported to develop an individual program tailored to address factors contributing to the offence. These plans can include saying sorry, participating in a youth justice group conference, going to school, support for alcohol and drug problems, health checks, and completing community service hours.
It also involves setting young people up with the skills and resources to thrive in our community. This includes working with families and providing flexible and culturally appropriate support.
Young people remain on the program for approximately 12 weeks. The program is a collaboration between Gap Youth and Community Centre and the Northern Territory Police Youth Diversion Unit.
Funded by the NT Government Department for Territory Families, Housing and Communities