Health and wellbeing

Young people who are admitted to our youth detention centres may have a variety of mental health concerns, including:

• depression
• anxiety
• self-harming behaviours
• substance misuse
• anger and difficulties regulating emotions
• challenges developing social skills.

Some may also have been diagnosed with impairments or disabilities, such as:

• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
• foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

We have supports in place to help young people with their mental health and wellbeing while they are in youth detention centres. Our youth detention centres also use trauma-informed practices.

Who is here to help

Multidisciplinary staff

We employ specialist staff in our youth detention centres, including:

• psychologists
• speech-language pathologists
• caseworkers.

Forensic child and youth mental health service

This mental health service operated by Queensland Health provides on-site services during business hours, as well as after-hours support. Service staff include:

• psychiatrists
• clinical psychologists
• Indigenous health workers
• speech-language pathologists
• occupational therapists
• social workers.

Detention youth workers and other operational staff

All youth detention operational staff are trained in:

• aspects of mental health
• complex behaviour
• suicide and self-harm response
• communication and de-escalation techniques.

Detention youth workers will support young people in their daily activities and record observations. Staff participate in daily suicide risk assessment meetings and will refer a young person to specialist staff if they think that young person needs extra support.

Arriving at a youth detention centre

Each young person must undertake a health assessment when they arrive at the youth detention centre. This includes assessing risk of self-harm or suicide.

The young person will be asked if they have any existing mental health concerns and if they are on medication. Queensland Health will help the young person to get support and medication while they are in detention.

Self-harm and suicide risk

Youth detention staff regularly discuss and update each young person’s suicide prevention plan. The updates are based on:

• current risks
• current needs
• their protective factors (things in their life that help connect and support them)
• how they are engaging in therapeutic interventions.

If we assess a young person as having suicide risk, our staff will make scheduled checks on them and document this along with any changes in their behaviour. We will review the young person each day to see if those observations need to increase or decrease and if they need extra support.

Our caseworkers and psychologists provide intensive support to reduce the young person’s risks over time.

Assessment and therapeutic support

Our team will assess the young person to see if they need support and intervention to help their mental health and wellbeing. Our multidisciplinary staff may do a range of formal assessments if they are needed.

We tailor our support to each young person. Our staff use several therapeutic styles and strategies, including:

• cognitive behavioural therapy
• motivational interviewing
• acceptance and commitment therapy
• dialectical behaviour therapy
• solution-focused brief therapy.

We will help the young person set up goals they wish to work towards during their sessions with the multi-disciplinary team and help them identify their strengths and build confidence to achieve those goals.

We will also help young people:

• identify and understand their emotions
• learn how to regulate their emotions
• identify their triggers
• identify maladaptive thought patterns (false, irrational, negative and persistent thoughts)
• learn to seek help
• learn to make better choices
• learn to advocate for themselves.

Our speech-language pathologists will support a young person if they have additional communication needs and provide help for speech or language. They will also talk to staff at the youth detention centre’s school to make sure they get the right support needed.

National Disability Insurance Scheme

If a young person has a disability and is eligible to get help from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), our staff will help with their application.

More information

• Read more about what happens in detention.
• Learn who else is here to help young people in detention.