Rapid Response

Rapid Response is a Youth Justice initiative providing a targeted response to youth crime hot spots.

The team deploys specialist support to target sudden surges in youth offending in areas across Queensland. Our deployment teams consist of:

  • case workers
  • court coordinators
  • team leaders
  • restorative justice convenors
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural capability officers.

With each deployment we tailor the number of personnel and resources provided based on the assistance requested from Youth Justice and the local demand issues.

The Youth Justice Rapid Response team and its resources originated from a previous initiative and have been improved to the current Rapid Response team. The Rapid Response team continues to work collaboratively with the Queensland Police Service and other stakeholders to address youth crime and deliver meaningful outcomes for communities across Queensland.

What does Rapid Response do?

Our goal is to supplement local youth justice resources to help address youth crime. We do this by working alongside key agencies to provide an effective and collaborative approach to service delivery. The team supports local youth justice service centres, providing strategic advice and additional resources, upskilling service centre employees and providing additional workforce power.

Supporting youth justice service centres

Prior to our deployment we engage with local service centres to understand local issues and plan resources and personnel needed to help. We develop a local response plan based on the outcomes to be achieved from our deployment.

As part of our work supporting local youth justice service centres and supplying additional resources, we provide a range of responses including:

  • mentoring and upskilling regional staff to ensure high quality statutory services and evidence-based support (PDF, 224KB) are provided to youths, including case reviews and statutory reporting
  • linking youths and families to services that can provide early intervention or a collaborative rehabilitation for high-risk and serious repeat offending, including multi-agency collaboration panels (MACP) and early action groups (EAG)
  • building the capacity and capability of local youth justice service centres
  • supporting the local implementation of change-oriented programs
  • mentoring, coaching and facilitating restorative justice conferences
  • building cultural awareness and responsivity to best support youth justice services to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths, their families and their communities.

We work collaboratively with the local service centres, communities and Elders to provide support while utilising their skills and knowledge to achieve positive outcomes. We appreciate that the local service centre are experts on the local community, and we are there to assist them.

Improving community safety

During each deployment we work to increase public safety and community confidence. The length of each deployment is based on the needs of the local youth justice service centre, the community and type of assistance requested.

During Rapid Response deployments we aim to:

  • reduce reoffending and engage with serious repeat offenders
  • support community members who have been victims of youth crime to participate in youth justice restorative justice conferencing
  • decrease the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths in the youth justice system.

The overall aim of each deployment is to provide the resources and workforce power required to reduce youth crime in the region.

Partnerships

We work with not-for-profit community groups and organisations, including social services and health sectors, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, Traditional Owners groups, communities, community-controlled organisations, and local businesses to provide a comprehensive service with the collective aim of reducing youth crime. During each deployment, Rapid Response also collaborate with other government agencies including:

  • early action groups (EAG) – providing multi-agency case management coordination for youths aged 8-16 years who are at moderate/high risk reoffending
  • multi-agency collaborative panels (MACP) – designed to coordinate service delivery and share information to support high risk and serious repeat offenders. MACP works with a variety of agencies, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders services, child protection services, corrective services, disability, education, housing, and health
  • youth co-responder teams (YCRT) – a joint initiative with QPS, connecting specialist staff with youths who are involved with the criminal justice system, or at risk of doing so.

Locations

Rapid Response works across Queensland, deploying to regional areas where assistance has been requested. Learn more about locations of youth service centres across Queensland.

More information

For more information on Youth Justice Rapid Response or email the Rapid Response team.