Child Safety and Youth Justice drive non-government jobs in Queensland

The Palaszczuk Government is continuing to create jobs across Queensland, funding thousands of frontline jobs in the non-government sector.

Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women Di Farmer said more than 5,500 frontline jobs were being supported, from remote indigenous communities at the top of Queensland to the many suburbs of the Gold Coast and stretching out to the rural areas of far western Queensland, across both the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women and the newly created Department of Youth Justice.

“Earlier this month I was at the opening of Laurel Place’s new Women’s Health and Wellbeing Service based out of Noosa, which we supported with an investment of $2.4 million.

“We now have ten Women’s Health and Wellbeing are supporting women affected by domestic and family violence across Queensland, from Mount Isa, to Townsville, and to the Gold Coast.

“Our investment in these services not only secures jobs in the NGO sector, these services help women who have been affected by DV to heal, to re-establish themselves, and importantly, to re-enter the workforce.”

Ms Farmer also said the government’s historic youth justice investment was also supporting jobs in the NGO sector.

“Our recently announced investment in services to prevent offending and reoffending will lead to the creation of another 60 full-time equivalent positions in the non-government sector,” she said.

“Already, new Indigenous Youth and Family Workers have been employed and started providing intensive support to young people in contact with the Youth Justice system in Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba, with recruitment underway in more locations.

“These case workers provide culturally appropriate support to families who are struggling with their child’s behaviour, and connecting them with appropriate services to address risk factors to prevent offending and re-offending.

“The best way to steer a young person out of the Youth Justice system is to give them a job.

“That’s why our new programs like Transition to Success, which are geared totally towards getting our young people into work and different life choices – are so important.

“With 60% of the young undertaking this program not reoffending, and with our high success rate of those same young people either returning to school, undertaking further training, or gaining employment, we know we are making a long term difference in their lives.

“Our Child Safety and Youth Justice reforms and our ongoing commitment to addressing domestic and family violence and sexual violence are helping give children a great start, keeping the community safe and creating thousands of jobs.”

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