Support for youth in detention

Part of the Youth detention topic

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In short

Health and wellbeing

The youth detention centre has a health centre with nurses who work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When your child arrives at the youth detention centre, a nurse checks their health and their health needs. They will be asked if they have existing mental health concerns. We will also assess their risk of self-harm or suicide.

We will arrange for your child to see the nurse, doctor or dentist at the youth detention centre when they need to. Your child can also talk to the nurse when they make their daily visit to your child’s accommodation area. The nurse can help them with their health needs including immunisation, sexual health and more.

If your child is on medication. they will continue to get support and medication while they are in detention.

Youths admitted to our youth detention centres may have a variety of mental health concerns, including:

• depression
• anxiety
• self-harming behaviours
• substance misuse
• anger and difficulties regulating emotions
• challenges developing social skills.

Some may also have been diagnosed with disabilities or conditions, such as:

• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)
• autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
• trauma.

Youth detention staff have special training that includes:

• identifying mental health problems
• responding to self-harming or suicidal behaviour
• managing difficult behaviour
• trauma informed practice.

Who's here to help

The youth detention centres employ:

• psychologists
• speech-language pathologists
• occupational therapists
• caseworkers.

Queensland Health provides on-site health services in our youth detention centres. This includes access to specialists such as:

• psychiatrists
• clinical psychologists
• Indigenous health workers
• speech-language pathologists
• occupational therapists
• social workers
• dentists.

Education

Your child goes to school while they are in detention.

The teacher will work with your child to:

• address any learning gaps they have in literacy or numeracy
• learn new skills
• help them develop skills for returning to education, training or employment when they leave detention
• improve their social skills.

Who's here to help

Education Queensland provides on-site education services in our youth detention centres. This includes:

• principals
• deputy principals
• teachers
• teacher aides
• speech-language pathologists
• transition officers.

Culture

Our cultural units and cultural staff help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths stay connected to their:

• family
• culture
• community
• country.

Cultural staff run programs and activities, and organise cultural celebrations like NAIDOC Week.

Who’s here to help

The youth detention centres employ cultural staff.

We also work with Elders and other important community members. We provide opportunities for them to talk to youth about their culture.

Community visitors

Community visitors work for the Office of the Public Guardian and not for the youth detention centre.

Community visitors check on how your child is cared for in detention. They can also help your child sort out problems they may have.

Community visitors talk to youth and listen to what they have to say about their time in detention. If your child wants to talk to a community visitor, they can:

• talk to them when they see them walking around the detention centre
• put a note into one of the secure letter boxes around the detention centre
• phone them from the phone in their accommodation unit.