Oversight recommendations

The youth detention review made 83 recommendations. These were sorted into work programs for implementation.

Youth detention centres are monitored and reviewed to ensure young people are safe and receive quality services and support. The organisations that do this are called oversight agencies. Our oversight agencies include:

• Youth Detention Inspectorate
• Office of the Public Guardian
• Office of the Queensland Ombudsman.

Youth Justice also performs internal oversight and review to:

• identify service improvements that are needed
• drive continuous improvement to practice.

Our objectives

Oversight of youth detention centres will be:

• coordinated
• transparent
• independent.

Oversight activities and recommendations will ensure our services grow with contemporary best practice.

The way forward

To achieve this we will:

• have an independent, expert agency make a thorough and robust evaluation of oversight options
• work with oversight agencies to put in place an effective and efficient model with statutory independence.

Recommendations

Recommendation 15 (status: complete)

The Review recommends that the Queensland Government replace the Youth Detention Inspectorate (ESU) and Office of the Chief Inspector (QCS) with an independent statutory Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services in a similar form to that of Western Australia. (8.R1)

The Queensland Government supports the establishment of a new independent Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services.

We must ensure that the new office has a strong and discrete focus on the needs of young people in youth detention centres and that inspection expectations align with youth justice philosophies, legislative frameworks and service standards.

The Queensland Family and Child Commission, a statutory, child-focussed agency with independence from the youth justice system, prepared an options paper. We received the report on 21 March 2018 and are working with Queensland Corrective Services, Department of Justice and Attorney-General and the Department of Premier and Cabinet to progress it.

Requirements of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture are also being considered as part of this work.

Recommendation 16 (status: complete)

The Review recommends that the key features of the Queensland Inspector of Custodial Services should include:

• independence
• transparency
• and
• accountability. (8.R2)

See response to recommendation 15.