Education
Children facing educational barriers and exclusion are more likely to enter the criminal justice system. For example, in 2019, 68 percent of children in custody were recorded as having been suspended or expelled from school.
Once in the criminal justice system, children then face additional education barriers through disruption and incarceration.
Once in the criminal justice system, children then face additional education barriers through disruption and incarceration. In relation to incarceration, inadequate staffing, resulting in children spending increased time in isolation and lockdown, severely limits access to education. While the commitment is there, the operational reality of custody means children’s educational needs cannot remain at the forefront of a custody facility’s planning and staff considerations.
Next steps
To end over-representation in the criminal justice system, we are asking the government to act:
Ask forty-five
Develop a whole of government plan to engage over-rep resented cohorts in meaningful education and training opportunities through to completion by recognising and facilitating the provision of timely and tailored support to all primary and secondary students (along with their families) when needed and across transitions. The plan should take into account the intersectional needs of students, teacher and allied staff wellbeing.
Ask forty-six
The Department of Education Introduce culturally safe and inclusive restorative justice in school settings with a presumption against suspension/expulsion.
Ask forty-seven
The DE should embed foundational and booster training in emotional regulation and awareness, cultural competency, colonisation, trauma and gendered violence into existing mental health and respectful relationships reform initiatives across government, Catholic and independent schools.
Ask forty-eight
DE introduce mandatory anti-racism learning into the curriculum for teachers and students; and introduce mental health literacy including but not limited to the harms associated with racism.
Ask forty-nine
DE and DFFH together with DH and other statutory and community experts to minimise police interactions in Victorian Schools and shift reliance on police as first responders to other statutory and community supports.