Fresh Start
While the current youth justice process works well for the majority of young offenders, there are a group of serious and persistent young offenders who we need to work with more intensively, holding them to account while still giving them the support and interventions that will address the underlying causes of their offending behaviour.
About Fresh Start
The Children, Young Persons and their Families (Youth Courts Jurisdiction and Orders) Amendment Act, are on track to take effect from 1 October 2010. These 'Fresh Start' reforms will enable us to work more intensively with these young people over a longer period of time. With the help of this more sustained support, they have a better chance of getting their lives on track.
The reforms include:
- widening the Youth Court jurisdiction to include 12 and 13 year olds who commit serious offences
- creating tougher, more effective sentences for persistent and serious offenders, including longer residential stays and increased supervision requirements
- providing new powers for the Youth Court to order parenting, mentoring and drug and alcohol programmes.
Fresh Start programmes
We are developing a range of responses to enable us to implement the Fresh Start reforms. These include:
- expanding our supervision with activity programmes, by increasing the number placements and providers to improve nationwide coverage
- increasing our investment in programmes delivered by NGOs that provide mentoring, parenting and drug and alcohol treatment
- extending our supported bail initiative, increasing its reach across New Zealand
- working with the New Zealand Defence Force to develop a military-style activity camp (MAC) programme
- improving the assessment and early identification of high-risk offenders
- introducing electronic monitoring of curfew conditions as part of the new intensive supervision order, targeting repeat offenders and those who breach their community-based orders
- intensifying the supervision we provide to young people by increasing the numbers of frontline youth justice staff
We all know that early intervention is the best approach when dealing with youth offending. As well as targeting serious and persistent offenders, Fresh Start also includes a number of initiatives aimed at helping children and young people at the lower end of offending, or at risk of getting into trouble.
These include:
- Community Youth programmes, structured programmes, such as community youth development programmes led by the Police
- Court-supervised adventure camp activities or community based youth development activities with mentoring.
- Innovation Fund, available for grass roots organisations to provide local solutions to local youth offending.
Service specifications
Please click here (PDF, 1.27MB) for the service descriptions of the following Fresh Start initiatives:
- mentoring programmes
- parenting education programmes
- court supervised camps
- community youth programmes
- supported bail programmes
- supervision with activity
Please note that the mentoring, parenting, and supervision with activity programmes' service descriptions are subject to the findings of the concept tests, which will be complete in July. There may be some minor adjustments at that point, prior to their coming into effect on 1 October 2010.
Preferred providers
The criteria and process for selecting preferred providers for the following Fresh Start programmes has been finalised:
- Youth Court ordered mentoring programmes
- Youth Court ordered parenting education programmes
- Court supervised camps
- Community youth programmes
A regional panel will assess and approve the applicants, and amend the preferred providers list as required. Applications can be made at any time, with panels meeting on a monthly basis to review any applications received.
More information is available in the application for preferred provider status
Innovation Fund
The Innovation Fund aims to encourage and stimulate communities to deliver their own promising solutions to local youth offending problems, with a particular focus on addressing the needs of Māori children and young people in the youth justice system. This is a great opportunity for providers with new ideas or who have a programme that offers a different approach.
To allow maximum flexibility, the fund will be distributed through a system of grants, with a maximum of $100,000 pa for each grant application. A national selection panel will assess the applications and recommend programmes to be funded. More information about the fund is available in section one of the application pack below.
Applications for the second round of the Innovation Fund, for the 2010/2011 financial year, closed on 2 July 2010.
More information
More information about Fresh Start is available on the Beehive website and in the newsletter updates below.
If you would like to receive our regular Fresh Start e-newsletter updates, or have any questions about the Fresh Start initiatives, please email freshstart@cyf.govt.nz
Click on newsletter below to download document:
Break-Away
In addition to the Fresh Start approach, the Break-Away package provides targeted help for young people at risk of poor outcomes, by increasing and improving the range of school holiday and youth development opportunities for young people whose families may not be able to provide them.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the Break-Away programmes, please email:
