What Help is There for Young Offenders to get back into Education?
Education assessments are a new initiative to help re-engage child and youth offenders into education. The target group is 10-16-year-old offenders who have high education needs and are at risk of re-offending. This webpage has information on education assessments and the Youth Offending Strategy.
Education assessments are a new initiative to help re-engage child and youth offenders into education. The target group is 10-16-year-old offenders who have high education needs and are at risk of re-offending. The initiative is a recommendation of the government's Youth Offending Strategy.
Education assessments
This initiative targets 10-16-year-old children and youth offenders (especially those aged 10-13 years) with high educational needs and a high risk of re-offending. Often these children have care and protection issues and most are not engaged in school.
Education Assessments are done for child and youth offenders in the target group prior to their youth justice Family Group Conference (FGC). FGCs are held as a way for the young offender's family to meet together, make decisions and make the young offender accountable for their actions.
Education and/or health assessments will provide information and help to highlight education and health problems that may be relevant to the offending. The focus of the education assessment is on re-engagement in the education system or, in some cases, vocational training.
After the FGC appropriate interventions to address identified needs are carried out.
Child and youth offenders with high identified education needs and high likelihoods of re-offending and who meet the criteria for referrals outlined in the referral forms, will be eligible for education assessments.
About the Youth Offending Strategy
The Youth Offending Strategy aims to reduce re-offending by children and young people.
Research indicates there are a small number of child and youth offenders in New Zealand who are likely to become "life-course persistent" offenders. These young offenders are committing offences either frequently and/or of a serious nature and aren't likely to be attending school, or they may have been suspended or expelled.
The Education Assessment initiative is one of the recommendations of the Youth Offending Strategy - published jointly in April 2002 by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).
Further information
If you would like further information about education assessments, please contact Mark Thorburn, at the Ministry of Education, Special Education (GSE) on 0-4-463 7514.
or
Ministry of Justice
Phone: 0-4-918 8800
Website: www.justice.govt.nz
Ministry of Youth Development
Phone: 0-4-916 3645
Website: www.myd.govt.nz
Ministry of Social Development
Phone: 0-4-916 3300
Website: www.msd.govt.nz