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Residential Services Strategy
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What is the Residential Services Strategy?
The Residential Services Strategy is an action plan to provide better facilities and targeted programmes for children and young people generally aged up to 17 years who for a variety of reasons need to be in closely supervised 24-hour residential care. In essence, the Strategy is based on establishing specialist purpose-built residential centres that will meet the specific needs of children and young people placed in the care and control of Child, Youth and Family.
The new facilities will increase the current residential bed-capacity by more than 50 per cent.
The Residential Services Strategy is designed to provide a service for a small number of children and young people whose problems or life situations cannot be managed in the community. A residential programme provides individual and community safety, an opportunity for stabilisation of behaviours, comprehensive assessments and planning as well as individualised treatment options. Residences are at the high end of the continuum of care and are available for a small group of children and young people for whom community based services have not achieved the desired outcomes.
There are four key elements to the Residential Services Strategy:
1. Separation of youth justice and care and protection residential facilities and campuses.
2. New youth justice residential centres located, wherever possible, in areas that have a ‘non-residential’ zoning.
3. New residential facilities for the treatment of adolescent sexual abusers and children and young people with severe behavioural difficulties.
4. A range of alternative management systems for residential centres including the contracting out of certain activities to private sector service providers.
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Why is there a need for the Residential Services Strategy?
The nature and purpose of residential centres throughout New Zealand has changed over time. Not all of the existing residences are able to cope with current demands and needs. The existing facilities are ageing and not conducive to a rehabilitative environment.
The Residential Services Strategy will provide modern, purpose-built facilities, rehabilitation programmes and enable streamlined management systems.
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Why are youth justice and care and protection facilities being separated?
The Residential Services Strategy is intended to give effect to best practice. Experience and knowledge indicates that it is more effective to separate the children and young people in residences for care and protection reasons from those who have come through the youth justice system. This includes the need to protect young people who are victims of offending from those committing offences.
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What is the difference between youth justice and care and protection facilities?
Youth justice residential centre
In general, a youth justice residential centre provides ‘live in’ supervision, rehabilitation and education for young people aged from 14 up to 17 years who have been placed with Child, Youth and Family under the youth justice provisions of the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989 (CYP&F Act). However, under special circumstances placements may be under other legislation relating to children and young people such as the Criminal Justice Act 1985.
Usually a child or young person is placed in a youth justice residential centre under certain circumstances pertaining to arrest, remand or orders for supervision with residence as follows:
Arrest
Under section 235 of the CYF&F Act: If the Police believe that a child or young person they have arrested is unlikely to appear at court, may commit further offences, destroy evidence or interfere with witnesses, they may place them in the care of Child, Youth and Family.
Remand
Under section 238(1) of the CYP&F Act: The Youth Court can, pending the hearing of a case, order a child or young person to be detained in the custody of the Department.
Under section 142 of the Criminal Justice Act: The District Court or High Court can require that a child or young person be detained in the custody of Child, Youth and Family while waiting for their case to be heard or waiting to be sentenced.
Under section 142A of the Criminal Justice Act, young people who have been sentenced to imprisonment may be placed in a residence until they turn 17.
Supervision with Residence Order
Under section 311 of the CYP&F Act: The Youth Court can place a young person in a youth justice residence for a period of up to three months followed by a period of six months supervision in the community. This is known as a ‘supervision with residence order’ and is not a sentence of imprisonment.
Care and protection residential centre
Children and young people aged up to 17 years are usually placed in a care and protection residential centre under the CYP&F Act when they can no longer be safely looked after in the community. This could be for the following reasons:
- They may have been abused.
- Their development or wellbeing may have been neglected.
- They may have been behaving in a manner likely to be harmful to themselves or others.
- They may have committed offences but are primarily in need of care and protection.
- Their parents are unwilling or unable to look after them.
- There may be serious differences between those responsible for their care.
- They may not have the ability to form significant psychological attachments.
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Strategy overview: The residences
Upper North
The Northern Residential Centre in Auckland currently houses children and young people under both youth justice and care and protection provisions of the CYPF&F Act.
A new Youth Justice Residential Centre – Upper North has been proposed for 40 youth justice and six criminal justice children and young people on a site in Manukau to be open by mid 2003.
Criminal justice children and young people are placed with Child, Youth and Family by special agreement with the Department of Corrections in accordance with section 142A of the Criminal Justice Act 1985 to serve all or part of their sentence of imprisonment. These are special children or young persons who are considered too vulnerable to serve their sentences in an adult prison due to their lack of maturity.
Redevelopment of the existing Northern Residential Centre site for the proposed Care and Protection Residential Centre – Upper North is under consideration and an announcement on the future use of this site is expected soon. The new Care and Protection Residential Centre – Upper North will include treatment facilities for children and young people with severe behaviour problems.
The Dey Street Secure Residence in Hamilton that currently operates as a secure care unit will most likely close once the new Youth Justice Residential Centre – Upper North has opened.
Lower North
The new Youth Justice Residential Centre – Lower North in Mohaka Place, Palmerston North opened for 30 youth justice children and young people, in October 1999. The youth justice activities from the Epuni Residential Centre in Lower Hutt were relocated to this new facility.
The site of the Epuni Residential Centre is currently being redeveloped for the new 20 bed Care and Protection Residential Centre – Lower North. This residence will include treatment facilities for children and young persons with severe behaviour problems. The opening of the new Care and Protection Residential Centre – Lower North is expected in July 2001.
South
The Kingslea Residential Centre in Christchurch currently houses children and young people under the youth justice and care and protection provisions of the CYP&F Act, and the Criminal Justice Act 1985.
A new Youth Justice Residential Centre – South for 40 children and young people has been proposed for Christchurch.
It is proposed to redevelop the site of the existing Kingslea Residential Centre for the new Care and Protection Residential Centre – South. This will occur once the youth justice and criminal justice operations have been relocated to the new sites in Christchurch and Auckland.
The Te Poutama Arahi Rangatahi Residential Centre in Yaldhurst near Christchurch opened for the treatment of 12 adolescent sexual abusers in July 1999. This facility is operated by Barnardos.
The Puketai Residential Centre – a small care and protection facility for eight children and young people – operates in Dunedin. This centre was established prior to the RSS.
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How long until all the new facilities are built and operating?
Implementation of the Residential Services Strategy is under way but due to the complexity of the process involved it will take several years before all these new facilities are completed and operating. The length of the implementation process will be determined by the assessment of alternative sites, the community consultation process and obtaining the necessary Resource Management Act approvals, including whether or not there are appeals to the Environment Court. It is planned to have all of the new residences in operation by mid-2004.
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What security measures will be in place at these new residential centres?
All new residential centres established under the RSS will be securely designed and include security features such as alarm systems and fencing. Management plans to prevent children and young people from absconding will be prepared for each facility. Regular reviews of these plans will ensure their effectiveness.
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Community liaison committees
Once the new facilities are operational a community liaison committee will be established for each facility.
Membership of each community liaison committee will include local residents, tangata whenua, the Police, local authority representatives and people representing the interests of the children, young people and staff at the facility.
The community liaison committee will provide a link between the facility and the local community and will help foster and develop positive relationships and address any community concerns.
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What happens in the meantime with existing facilities?
The existing residential facilities will continue to operate in their present form until the new facilities are completed.
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How can I get more information?
There will be extensive consultation with local communities prior to the lodging with the respective City/District Council of any notice of requirement to designate a site in accordance with Resource Management Act 1991 for a new residential centre.
At the time new facilities are being built, Child, Youth and Family will work alongside the local community to ensure that people are fully informed of what is happening in their area.
For more information about the RSS or the planned new facilities please phone our Call Centre 0508 FAMILY (0508 326 459) and ask to be put through to the Residential Services Strategy, or write to the Project Director, Residential Services Strategy, PO Box 2620, Wellington.
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Services 
