ACT Young People’s Plan
2009-2014
FINAL REPORT
August 2015
1 | ACT Young People’s Plan 2009-2014 Final Report
Contents
Message from the Minister
Executive summary
Young people in the Territory
Priorities and goals
1Health, wellbeing and support
2Families and communities
3Participation and access
4Transitions and pathways
5Environment and sustainability
Responding to challenges
Future directions
Appendix
Table 1: Health, wellbeing and support
Table 2: Families and communities
Table 3: Participation and access
Table 4: Transitions and pathways
Table 5: Environment and sustainability
Acknowledgement of country
The ACT Government acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land the ACT is situated on, the Ngunnawal people. The ACT Government acknowledges and respects their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region. The ACT Government also acknowledges the contribution of other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who live in the ACT.
Accessibility
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Data used in this report
Data onkey achievements and progress reporting has been sourced from publically available annual reports from ACT Government Directorates and other ACT Government publications from 2009-10 to 2013-14, including implementation reports of The Canberra Plan and annual reports of A Picture of ACT’s Children and Young People. Data has also been obtained from other publically available sources including the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other government and non-government organisations.
Message from the Minister
I am pleased to introduce this final report on the ACT Young People’s Plan 2009-2014, a reflection on the ACT Government’s progress between 2009 and 2014 on key priorities. The plan was developed following consultation with young people to better understand what was important to them.
The outcomes in this report show us that many young Canberrans are doing well, and there is consistent improvement in some areas. It is clear that collaborative efforts across government and the community are making a positive difference in the lives of young people. Importantly, this work helps to ensure that Canberra is a great place to live for young people.
Young people are building their skills, knowledge and capacity so that they canreach their potential, and Canberra offers great opportunities to support them along the way. However, we cannot lose sight of the fact that there are challenges that need to be addressed in future work.
We know that more must be done to improve opportunities for employment, to enhance physical and mental health and wellbeing, and to respond to the specific needs of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Removing barriers to social inclusion and participation experienced by young people is also a priority.
As we look ahead, a new ACT Children and Young People Commitment will set the direction for how government and community can work together to promote the rights of children and young people.
Finally, I acknowledge that the achievements in this report represent the work of many people, both across and outside government. I thank everyone who has played their part in seeking to improve the lives of Canberra’s children and young people.
Mick Gentleman MLA
ACT Minister for Children and Young People
August 2015
Executive summary
The ACT Young People’s Plan 2009-2014 (Young People’s Plan) aimed to ensure that Canberra is a child and youth friendly city that supports all young people to reach their full potential, make valuable contributions and share the benefits of our community. TheACT Young People’s Plan
2009-2014 Final Report(the final report) provides an overview of key achievements undertaken by the ACT Government acrossthe five priority areas of the Young People’s Plan (see left).
The final reporthighlights work that focused on achieving positive outcomes for young people, rather than providing a comprehensive list ofACT Government initiatives delivered between 2009 and 2014.The report also identifies future work that responds to continuing challenges experienced by young people in the ACT and aims to remove barriers to their social inclusion and participation.
Key achievementsthat have contributed to improved outcomes for young people include:
Transformed the way human services are provided to young people and their familiesin the ACT through the Human Services Blueprint
Improvedthe delivery of services to at-risk young people and families through the Child, Youth and Family Services Program
Developed preventative health measures to promote healthy lifestyles for young people under the Healthy Weight Initiative
Developed and implemented initiatives to address mental ill-health issues for young people in the ACT through the complementary frameworks Build a Strong Foundation: A Framework for Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing in the ACT 2009-2014and Managing the Risk of Suicide: A Suicide Prevention Framework for the ACT 2009-2014
Supported young people to participate in and transition to education, training and employment through the ACT Youth Commitment
Provided grants and scholarships for young people through Youth InterACT and artsACT
Implemented initiatives under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Matters: Strategic Plan 2010-2013
Reduced thenumber of young people involved with the youth justice system through the implementation ofBlueprint for Youth Justice in the ACT 2012-2022
Encouraged and supported young people to learn about and reduce their environmental impact through the ACTSmart Schools program.
Sustained and collaborative work under the Young People’s Plan has resulted in a number of positive outcomes for young people, including:
ACT high school students are staying at school longer, with the Year 10-12 retention ratecontinuing to be significantly higher than the national average
The percentage of ACT year 12 graduates employed or studying six months after graduation has increased since 2009-10
The proportion of secondary students who report alcohol, tobacco or illicit drug use has declined since 2008
ACT young people aged 15 to 24 continue to have high rates of participation in sport or recreation activities, significantly higher than the national average for 2013-14
The number of families accessing a range of early intervention and prevention services from the Child and Family Centres has increased since 2008-09
The rate of young people who have offended continues to decrease, with data from 2012-13 showingthe lowest rate since 2009-10
The number of young people under youth justice supervision or in detention has continued to decrease since 2009-10.
This final report brings together information from ACT Government Directorates’ Annual Reports, annual reports of A Picture of ACT’s Children and Young People, and a range of other government and non-government reports and publications.
Table sources:
*ABS, Estimated Resident Population by Single Year of Age, Table 58, released 18 December 2014, cat. no. 3101.0.
# ABS, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians 2001 to 2026 by Single Year of Age, Table 8, released 30 April 2014, cat. no. 3238.0.
**ABS, Estimated Resident Population by Country of Birth, Age and Sex, 2006 & 2011, Tables 8.9 & 9.9, released 18 December 2013, cat. no. 34120DO009_201113.
Note: The only available data for this measure as at May 2015 was for 2006 and 2011, and data was not available for the 12-25 years age group.
Young people in the Territory
Canberra is a city with a young population, compared to the rest of Australia.[1]
As of June 2014, there were an estimated 385,996 people living in the ACT, and 74,838 of these people were young people aged 12 to 25 years of age, comprising 19% of the total population in the ACT.[2]
While the proportion of young people in the ACT is forecast to continue to decrease, the ACT will continue to have a higher proportion of young people than the national average.[3]As the table below identifies, there was also significant growth in the ACT population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and young people born overseas.
ACT Population / 2009 / 2014 / Percentage changeYoung people aged 12 to 25 years (inclusive) / 76,589 (22% of total ACT population)* / 74,838 (19% of total ACT population)* / ↓ 2.3% decrease
Male young people / 39,354* / 38,143* / ↓ 3.1% decrease
Female young people / 37,235* / 36,695* / ↓ 1.5% decrease
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people / 1900 (2.5% of that age group)# / 2145 (2.9% of that age group)# / ↑ 12.9% increase
Aged 10 to 24 born overseas (using 2006 and 2011 census data only) / 10,490 (2006 census)** / 14,250 (2011 census)** / ↑ 35.9% increase
Table source:
ABS, Population by Age and Sex, Regions of Australia, 2008 and 2013, released 28 August 2014, cat. no. 3235.0.
*Note: The populations of Cotter-Namagdi and Fyshwick-Pialligo-Hume are small, so relatively modest increases may have a large statistical effect.
The following table shows the estimated number and proportion of young people aged 10 to 24 in each district of the ACT, and the percentage change between 2008 and 2013. Gungahlin and North Canberra recorded some of the highest increases of 42% and 9%, respectively. These two districts also have the highest projected growth of young people aged 10 to 24 by 2019.[4]
Priorities and goals
1Health, wellbeing and support
The health and wellbeing of young people includes complete physical, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing. The health and wellbeing of young people is affected by social connectedness and other social factors including family and social support, employment, education and accommodation.
The Young People’s Plan acknowledged that adolescence and young adulthood is a period of considerable physical and emotional change and growth. Many initiatives developed and implemented during the life of the Young People’s Plan aimed to improve health and social outcomes for young people, while supporting them to access appropriate services and supports. Three areas of focus were initiatives that addressed mental health, obesity and risky behaviour.
Significant work to achieve better outcomes for young people in the area of health, wellbeing and support was undertaken by ACT Government Directorates and the community between 2009 and 2014. For more details, please see Table 1 in the Appendix.
2Families and communities
Families play a crucial role in the lives of young people, providing them with physical, emotional and economic support. How families interact, communicate, make decisions, solve problems and maintain relationships are all elements of the family environment that influence young people’s health and wellbeing.
Along with families, our communities also play a crucial role in shaping young people’s health and wellbeing, with strongly connected communities associated with positive outcomes for young people. A key area of focus under this priority was the development of the Human Services Blueprint, which provides a whole-of-government and whole-of-community guide to improving the provision of human services to Canberra’s families and community.
ACT Government initiatives under the Young People’s Plan strengthened families and communities to make them safer, stronger and more connected. ACT Government Directorates progressed a number of reforms and strategies between 2009 and 2014, aimed at providing better services and supports for young people, their families and their communities. For more details, please see Table 2 in the Appendix.
3Participation and access
Participation of young people in education and training enhances life opportunities for young people and provides many social and economic benefits to our community. Young people may participate in our community in a range of different ways, including paid and voluntary work, fundraising, sport, recreation, culture and arts. Young people require access to high quality education and training to develop skills to reach their potential.
Establishing the ACT Youth Commitment during the Young People’s Plan provided young people with support to access education and training to meet their needs. Initiatives developed to provide flexible learning options assisted students to participate in quality vocational education, while providing pathways to further education, training and/or employment.
Work undertaken by ACT Government Directorates and the community during the life of the Young People’s Plan focused on providing young people with opportunities for increased participation and access to quality education and training. For more details, please see Table 3 in the Appendix.
4Transitions and pathways
Young people make a number of key transitions in their life including from primary to high school, from school to work, and from home to independent living. Most young people respond well to the challenges of transitions. However, the Young People’s Plan recognised that transitions are sometimes more difficult for some young people because of their vulnerability.
Several initiatives undertaken by ACT Government Directorates between 2009 and 2014 focused on supporting young people moving into their own or supported housing, young people transitioning from out of home care and young people in contact with the youth justice system. A key area of focus was improving the out of home care system in the ACT through the development of A Step Up for Our Kids (Out of Home Care Strategy 2015-2020)to ensure that children and young people in care grow up safe, strong and connected.
Work completed during the Young People’s Plan assisted young people through these key transition periods with a range of services and supports. For more details, please see Table 4 in the Appendix.
5Environment and sustainability
Many young people in the ACT continue to lead the way in regard to the environment and sustainability, and want to see sustainable transport, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and recycling and reusing of resources.
Consultation with young people during the development of the Young People’s Plan was vital in the development of a number of key ACT Government strategies on transport, the environment and planning. Transport for Canberra was released in 2012 and guides improvements to transport for the ACT, including the development of light rail. The ACT Nature Conservation Strategy 2013-23 encourages the increased involvement of young people in nature conservation issues, particularly school and university students. The ACT Planning Strategyreleased in 2012 sets out actions to create a more compact and efficient cityand provide more cost effective and sustainable living options.
Several further initiatives focused on raising awareness and participation in environmental issues, enhancing renewable energy generation and achieving water security for the ACT.For more details, please see Table 5 in the Appendix.
Responding to challenges
While there were many positive outcomes achieved under the Young People’s Plan, there are a number of continuing challenges faced by young people in the ACT. These includechallenges posedby young people to have the best education system, opportunities to engage, to have a voice and be heard.The ACT Government is committed to future work to address these challenges by:
Developing greater social inclusion to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the Canberra community. This includes work to:
-build an inclusive community that enables all ACT residents, including young people, to live a high quality of life
-improve outcomes for vulnerable ACT residents, including young people
-support collaboration to remove barriers to social inclusion and participation, and
-reform the service system to provide the right services at the right time for the right duration.
Reducing domestic violence in the ACT community, including funding ACT public schools to provide social and emotional learning programs,additional training for teachers and staff on domestic violence issues, and additional support for children and young people who may be experiencing domestic violence.
Progressing equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) young people through the Safe Schools Coalition, andPlay by the Rules and Fair Go sport programs. The LGBTIQ Advisory Council will work toincrease awareness of sexual and gender diversity, reduce discrimination and harassment and improve the lives of young people who identify as LGBTIQ.
Providing individualised support for young people with disability through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). High school students and post school leavers already have funded support plans.
Providing additional support for students with disability, both for learning and special needs transport. A new respite property for young people aged 13 -18 years will also be provided.
Implementing the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait lslander Agreement2015-18 will help to build strong foundations, resilient families, and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait lslander young people to achieve their personal life goals.
Continuing to deliver theHealthy Weight Initiative to promote good nutrition and exercise habits to children and young people, aiming to prevent obesity in children and young people.
Addressing mental health issues experienced by young people though the implementation of the Mental Health (Treatment and Care) Act 2015 and the ACT Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework 2015-2025.
Continuing support for homelessness services, including support for young people to secure tenancies.
Addressing youth unemployment, as the national youth unemployment rate has been rising since 2009,[5] with the ACT youth unemployment rate at 11.3%.[6] Initiatives in ACT high schools and colleges are continuing to support young people to successfully transition to training, employment and further education.