Health and Wellbeing
A child’s opportunities in life should not be damaged because they cannot access treatment and support for health and wellbeing issues — nor should they be criminalised — but this is the Victorian reality.
These experiences of discrimination and inequity are intersectional
As the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System notes, accessing appropriate health and wellbeing support is disproportionately difficult for the five groups we have identified are over-represented in youth justice.
Next Steps
To end over-representation in the criminal justice system, we are asking the government to act:
Ask twenty-seven
DH, in conjunction with health service providers implement the promise of the Victorian Government to involve youth with diverse lived experience in the roll out of the implementation of the Royal Commission into Mental Health Services.
Ask twenty-eight
DH, in conjunction with health service providers prioritise investment in culturally safe and responsive youth alcohol and other drug (AOD) and mental health services to address critical need in Melbourne growth corridors and regional Victoria, with an emphasis on overcoming barriers to access and lengthy appointment wait-times, especially for over-criminalised groups of young people.
Ask twenty-nine
Victorian Government decriminalise cannabis and within 36 months the Victorian Government act to decriminalise all drug use learning from the decriminalisation of public drunkenness and establishment of safe injecting rooms.
Ask thirty
Recognise young people as victim-survivors of family violence in their own right and ensure that services are funded to deliver age-appropriate and tailored support.
Ask thirty-one
Support system transformation by fully funding actions in Victoria’s whole-of-government Sexual Violence Strategy.
Ask thirty-two
Better equip the specialist sexual assault sector to lead efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence, by providing increased, reliable and ongoing funding.