Family members and Amnesty International representatives claim that in the weeks after the May incident 3 boys were subjected to degrading treatment including:
Having bedding taken from them.
Having to kneel, handcuffed for their food and being fed through their cell bars.
Being kept in isolation for extended periods of time.
Staying handcuffed at all times whilst outside their cell.
Being strip searched.
What’s your response to this?
In accordance with the Young Offenders Act 1994, the Department cannot comment specifically on any young person in its care.
Some young people at Banksia Hill have complex needs or require targeted care, support and intervention, as a result of being at risk of harm to themselves or others, and may be accommodated in the facility’s Intensive Support Unit (ISU).
The ISU provides a therapeutic care and targeted intervention to meet the assessed needs of the young person in a safe place where they are engaged, stabilised and assisted in learning how to better regulate their emotional state.
While being accommodated in the ISU, young people are under observation at all times and bedding may be temporarily removed or strip searching may occasionally occur to ensure their wellbeing and safety is maintained. A therapy or ‘pat’ dog has also been in use at the unit to help the detainees with regulating their emotional state.
The Department is responsible for the ongoing support and wellbeing of young people and takes any allegations of mistreatment seriously. It encourages any person who has a complaint or concern about their treatment in custody to report it to the appropriate authority. There are ways for young people at Banksia Hill to make confidential complaints to the Department and external agencies.
The Office of Inspector of Custodial Services (OICS) is currently undertaking a directed review into allegations made by Amnesty International regarding Banksia Hill.
It’s alleged that one boy, named Jason, has been kept in isolation for over 300 days now in the ISU unit- is this true?
In accordance with the Young Offenders Act 1994, the Department cannot comment specifically on any young person in its care.
Some young people at Banksia Hill have complex needs or require targeted care, support and intervention, as a result of being at risk of harm to themselves or others, and may be accommodated in the ISU.
The ISU provides a therapeutic care and targeted intervention to meet the assessed needs of the young person in a safe place where they are engaged, stabilised and assisted in learning how to better regulate their emotional state.
The ISU includes sleeping accommodation for detainees and is similar in design to other units the Centre. There are also monitoring cells within this unit to support the wellbeing of young people.
While being accommodated in the ISU, young people are provided with programs, education and daily activities. They have access to the same privileges as other young people and participate in a structured day from 7:00am to 7:30pm, which includes interacting with the other detainees and being out of the unit for various activities such as recreation, education or visiting the library. A recent careers expo was attended by all the detainees, including those then housed at the ISU.
The focus of ISU is to help these young people rehabilitate and reintegrate back into the Centre’s general population, but the safety of the other detainees, staff and the young people concerned must be taken into account.
What is your policy for informing parents or guardians when their child is suicidal or self harming at Banksia Hill detention centre?
The wellbeing of every young person accommodated at Banksia Hill is a priority for the Department and parents or legal guardians are duly informed of any incidents that may compromise this. Informing parents or legal guardians is undertaken via phone call to a pre-approved contact number, which is corroborated by a contact record and noted on the young person’s file.
What is being done by WA corrections to address the frequent incidents of self harm by the children, as described in the report by the inspector of custodial services.
The Department has existing polices and processes in place to support, manage and care for young people identified as being at risk of harm to themselves or others and can confirm it is currently progressing with anew model of care.
Under the proposed new model of care, young people will receive an individualised, needs-based, care plan. This model of care includes specialised staff training to ensure targeted support and services are provided to young people, which is strengthened by a multidisciplinary team responsible for identifying any specific impairments young people may have.
This team consists of psychologists, mental health nurses, visiting psychiatrists, education officers, Aboriginal welfare officers, case management co-ordinators and the custodial team.
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