Youth Connections/ Reducing Substance Abuse (petrol sniffing) Pilots Projects
Background
The Australian Government is implementing a whole-of-government Petrol Sniffing Strategy in response to the devastating effects of petrol sniffing in some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The Petrol Sniffing Strategy aims to reduce the incidence and impact of petrol sniffing and other forms of substance abuse amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait youth and communities in specific areas.
Responsibility for the Petrol Sniffing Strategy is shared across the following four Australian Government departments:
- Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
- Department of Health and Ageing
- Attorney-General's Department
- Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs is the lead agency for overall coordination of the strategy.
Description
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations currently funds three pilot projects delivered in the 2011 and 2012 calendar years in conjunction with the department’s Youth Connections program.
The Youth Connections/ Reducing Substance Abuse (petrol sniffing) Pilots Projects aim to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth who are at risk of, or engaged with petrol or volatile substance misuse with diversionary education activities which form a pathway back into education, training or employment.
Funding for the three Pilot Projects is provided by the Reducing Substance Abuse program, while the service footprint and existing resources of the Youth Connections program will facilitate service delivery.
Both Youth Connections and Reducing Substance Abuse programs have similar objectives including assisting young people at risk to achieve outcomes in education. The Youth Connections/Reducing Substance Abuse Pilot Projects will assist substance misusers so they are able to re-engage with education or training. The Youth Connections program is responsible for assisting all young people at risk and already has a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in the priority zones for petrol sniffing.
The Youth Connections Program commenced in 2010 and it has presented an opportunity for the Reducing Substance Abuse Program to leverage the resources of the mainstream program (Youth Connections) to further achieve Closing the Gap targets such as improving year 12 attainment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and expand the department’s efforts under the Petrol Sniffing Strategy. Youth Connections provides a national, flexible, individualised and responsive service to assist young people who are most at risk of disengaging from education or training and therefore not attaining Year 12 or equivalent and not making a successful transition to further study, training or work. Service delivery is characterised by assisting young people to remain engaged or re-engaging them with education and/or further training through the provision of individualised case management to overcome personal barriers.
Who delivers the Pilot Projects?
The three pilot projects are delivered by the following service providers:
- UnitingCare Wesley Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, SA
- STEPs Disability Qld Inc Central Desert, Northern Territory and
- Regional Training Services East Kimberley, West Australia
Objectives of the Pilot Projects
- Implement diversionary education projects that engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth who are affected by petrol sniffing or volatile misuse and are disengaged or at risk of disengaging from education and training.
- Facilitate behavioural change for each individual.
- Facilitate and/ or deliver alternative activities and accredited training as the young people are able to cope.
- Facilitate pathways for participants back into school, further education and training or work as they are ready to engage with such mainstream pathways.
- Promote sustainable partnerships for ongoing success in delivering outcomes for participating communities and their youth.