Persistent youth co-responder support ends in guardianship

The Townsville youth co-responder team had regular contact with a 14 year old girl who had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a processing disorder. Her grandparents were caring for her because her parents could not. She experienced regular outbursts of anger. A youth co-responder team, made up of Youth Justice professionals and police officers, were called to the young girl's home up to 5 times a month to help manage her escalating behaviour.

The youth co-responder team worked with the girl's family to support her and de-escalate her behaviour. They also referred the family to appropriate support services.

A recent home visit by the youth co-responder team found that the girl's grandparents had noticed a reduction in her outbursts which meant they weren't having to contact emergency services as often. The girl was also working hard to control her own behaviour when triggered.

The young girl is continuing to receive agency support, and her grandparents have applied for guardianship of her. She recently commented that she now has a positive opinion of the police which is due to the work of one particular youth co-responder.