VALS welcomes to the opportunity to provide feedback to the Inquiry of the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP), Our Youth Our Way, into over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in the youth justice system.

Despite numerous inquiries and reviews of the youth justice system in recent years,  repeated incidents at youth justice centres indicate that the system is under serious strain and that Aboriginal youth are dis-proportionality bearing the brunt of this broken system.  We believe that there is a critical need to shift towards rehabilitative responses that are culturally appropriate and support our youth to heal from past trauma.

Full submission is provided in the below link;

VALS Submission to CCYP Inquiry – Our Youth, Our Way