Don Dale: Self-harming incidents triggered by rolling lockdowns, staff shortages

Lockdowns, staff shortages and a skyrocketing numbers of kids have turned the NT’s most infamous youth detention centre into a ‘pressure cooker’ with multiple self-harm incidents.

THE Territory’s most infamous youth detention centre has been described as a “pressure cooker” of trauma after multiple children self harmed inside Don Dale Youth Detention Centre over a single weekend.

Acting Children’s Commissioner Nicole Hucks confirmed she was aware of the recent self-harm incidents at Don Dale.

“Upon request (I) have received briefings from Territory Families, Housing and Communities (TFHC) on these incidents and the response provided,” Ms Hucks said.

“I have visited Don Dale twice this week and am seriously concerned about the evident deteriorating mental health of children in Don Dale,” Ms Hucks said.

“I have raised these concerns with the Chief Minister, Minister Worden and TFHC executive.”

It comes after NT News reported that four children were taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital because of ‘at risk’ incidents last weekend, including a 16-year-old boy who stabbed himself and removed his own stitches.

Acting Children's Commissioner Nicole Hucks. Picture: Supplied

Ms Hucks said the deteriorating situation was due to the growing number of children inside the centre amid ongoing staff shortages.

“(This) has resulted in the continual and systematic use of extended lockdowns of children in Don Dale,” she said.

Ms Hucks said following bail reform changes in May 2021 there had been a significant increase in the number of children in detention.

Data released by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner found the number of unique children in Territory detention had tripled since 2020, jumping from 31 in May 2020, to 100 in May this year.

Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory chief executive John Paterson said the changes to youth bail had turned Don Dale into a “pressure cooker”.

“The government got it wrong when they changed bail laws in 2021,” Dr Paterson said.

“What we see now is the result of a system that cannot cope with the underlying reasons kids are offending.

“It’s a pressure cooker environment, where staff, young people and the facilities are at their limit.”

Save the Children NT and WA state director Noelene Swanson said they were “deeply concerned” about reports of self harm in Don Dale.

Ms Swanson called for urgent action.

In February, Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison confirmed an 18-month review into the May 2021 bail changes would go ahead.

The NT government did not respond to questions about how many ‘at risk’ self harm episodes occurred in the past week, how long children were being kept in their cells or staffing rates.

However, a government spokeswoman said there were more than 140 youth justice officers across the Territory, with a “scalable operations model” in Don Dale to manage staff and bed numbers and room configurations.

Territory Families minister Kate Worden said youth justice officers were trained to deal with the needs of kids in their care.

“Many of the youth in detention have complex needs and as a result can exhibit challenging behaviours which require management and intervention,” Ms Worden said.

“Incidents within the NT’s youth detention centres are often prevented by communication and de-escalation.

“When incidents do occur, they are handled expertly and quickly to minimise safety and security issues for staff, young people and visitors in the centres.”

These recent incidents have provoked fresh calls to introduce a therapeutic model of care and for the 2017 Royal Commission recommendations to be properly implemented.

Dr Paterson said the conditions inside Don Dale meant it was not providing the positive support, education on safe behaviours and healing to rehabilitate and reform children.

“Locking kids up is causing more harm and worsening their trauma, and the evidence shows it will not improve their behaviour, nor improve outcomes for our community,” Dr Paterson said.

“(They need to) commit to the assessment, treatment and holistic support kids in Don Dale are entitled to.”

“We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again – when will this government act to implement recommendations and bring real change to this broken system?”

Dr Paterson also repeated calls for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised, on Country alternatives to sentencing and properly funded diversion programs.

In 2017, the Royal Commission recommended raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12-years-old.

Five years on, leading justice and medical experts say that is still too young with the evidence showing it should be raised to 14.

This week, newly appointed Attorney-General Chansey Paech committed to changing the age of criminal responsibility.

“The age will be raised and it’ll be done in this term of government … I’m going to make sure of it. Watch this space,” Mr Paech wrote on Twitter.

The age will be raised and it'll be done in this term of government.

As the Northern Territory's new Attorney-General and Minister for Justice i'm going to make sure of it.

Watch this space.

— Chansey Paech MLA: Member for Gwoja (@chanseypaechMLA) June 8, 2022

Ms Worden said the Territory government had committed to diversion programs, with $229m to be invested over five years to intervene early and ensure strong alternatives.

“The Territory Labor Government is investing in more immediate youth diversion options to keep our communities safe and get our young people back on the right path.

“We continue to make significant investments into youth justice programs to ensure young people are held accountable for their actions and address their offending and reoffending behaviour.”

A spokeswoman for Ms Worden said the new $55m centre, which was tendered in 2020, would meet the needs of children in Territory Families care.

“The new facility (will) strike a balance between ensuring its therapeutic and rehabilitative as well as safe and secure,” she said.

FOUR KIDS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AFTER SELF-HARM INCIDENTS

MULTIPLE children were taken to hospital following a series of self-harm incidents in Don Dale last weekend.

Four children were taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) because of ‘at risk’ incidents.

This includes a 16-year-old boy who stabbed himself and removed his own stitches in two separate ‘at risk’ incidents over the weekend.

The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) confirmed that during a single night shift two children were taken to RDH.

Community and Public Sector Union NT secretary Kay Densley. Picture: Justin Kennedy

Union regional secretary Kay Densley said when a child was taken to hospital, three youth justice officers were required to escort a “high risk” security rating young person outside the centre.

With the incidents over the weekend, at one stage this left four staff to care for more than 40 children.

“You have 10 staff on and two high-risk kids to hospital, (it) means six staff have to go along,” she said.

Ms Densley said understaffing issues were chronic at Don Dale.

“There is certainly understaffing in Don Dale and has been for a while,” she said.

Ms Densley said there was a ratio of one staff member to every four kids in Don Dale but it did not take into account ‘at risk’ cases.

“If a young person is at high risk they need to have three youth justice officers for any movements including court, hospital or within the centre,” she said.

“Which takes staff out of the blocks.”

A spokeswoman for Territory Families Minister Kate Worden said there were more than 140 youth justice officers across the Territory.

The spokeswoman said there was a “scalable operations model” in Don Dale to manage staff and bed numbers and room configurations.

However, she would not confirm if children in their care had self-harmed, citing “privacy” reasons.

“We support our young people. When they need medical attention outside the facility we manage that,” she said.

The spokeswoman said Danila Dilba provided on-site primary health services while NT Government provides access to specialist assessment and treatment services, including psychologists, social workers, alcohol and other drug officers and youth workers.

However, Danila Dilba is not contracted to provide emergency care or after-hours medical care.

Ms Densley revealed more than 20 staff from Don Dale were off work because of injuries while at the centre.

She said there was “minimum support” for workers exposed to violence or the trauma of seeing a child attempt suicide.

Ms Densley described the government’s model as a lockdown approach, with kids kept in their cells whenever there was not enough staff to safely operate.

“To cover these absences they need to do rolling unlocks and lock ups to ensure safety for staff and young people,” she said.

“Understaffing is very stressful for workers as is the stress and conditions of the young people in their care.”

Ms Densley said only five blocks were currently open within Don Dale.

“There is minimum support in these cases and they are told to access Employee Assistance Service Australia or similar (programs),” she said.

Ms Densley said while counselling visits were paid by their employer, the sessions had to be attended in the worker’s own time.

She said new staff were also being put on temporary contracts, adding job insecurity to the already stressful workplace.

Territory Families’ At Risk Procedure Policy, provided to the NT News, said there was a responsibility to provide an environment that recognised the trauma children experience in detention.

“It is imperative … (to) implement programs focused on preventing the precursors leading to suicidal ideation or self-harming behaviour,” it said.

“(And) minimise the number of young people reaching the threshold required to implement at-risk procedures.”

The policy guide stated high-risk periods for self-harm included “witnessing an emergency event inside the centre”.

It is unclear if block lockdown, which forces kids to be kept in their cells, is classed as a “high risk period”.

In the latest federal Productivity Commission report, the Northern Territory had the highest rate of self-harm incidents not requiring hospitalisation, with 50 incidents per 10,000 custody nights.