Jesuit Social Services’ submission to inform the Second Action Plan for the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children calls for greater action to address the ‘family violence, child protection to youth justice pipeline’ and address the overrepresentation of First Peoples children in the out-of-home care and youth justice systems.
Our submission argues that we cannot improve outcomes for children, families and communities while state and territory governments criminalise and detain traumatised children – including children as young as 10, and First Peoples children and children with disability at a disproportionate rate – often in cruel and degrading conditions.
We reiterate the recent recommendation of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee’s Inquiry into Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system for the Federal Government to provide urgent leadership to reform youth justice across Australia.
