The NT’s youth must be properly supported

YOUTH are not acceptably, equitably, appropriately or ­effectively supported in the Northern Territory, WRITES KATIE FLYNN

Katie Flynn, the Association of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies NT

THE Association of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies NT (AADANT) recognises the need for youth-specific services in the Northern Territory.

These services must be ­delivered and offered through accessible, acceptable, equitable, appropriate and effective ways aligned with the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for health service to young people.

The Northern Territory has one residential rehabilitation program for young people in Central Australia.

There are two youth detention facilities – Darwin and Alice Springs – two facilities for young people on remand in Darwin and Alice Springs, and groups of Youth Outreach workers ­focused on young people who have offended.

There are limited ongoing alcohol and other drug supports in place for those who complete programs and return to community and country.

A connection with country, community and family is imperative to indigenous youth who access services that are culturally safe and appropriate.

Support services for those who seek help, connections or safety, specifically after hours, are finite.

Youth are not acceptably, equitably, appropriately or ­effectively supported in the Northern Territory.

Early childhood development is a time of accelerated growth the Northern Territory Government recognised with its Safe, Thriving and Connected Strategic Plan.

Early adolescence (10-14 years) is a crucial time to ­re-engage with young people who may experience negative early childhood events, and continue to build on positive relationships formed throughout early childhood.

During early adolescence, young people are experiencing hormonal changes as well as becoming socially aware (e.g., socio-economic status, environment, injustices.) Without adequate support and guidance during this time, the ­efforts directed at early childhood development can be ­undone.

Young people are most vulnerable when they do not have shelter, food and safety. Ensuring the most basic of needs are met is an integral part of effective outreach. Without meeting these needs, the comm­unity cannot expect a young person to have a sense of love and belonging, esteem or find their way to self-actualisation.

A safe, thriving and connected community needs not only children at the early development stage to thrive, but early adolescence, adolescence and early adulthood.

Support for young people under the age of 25 is lacking.

Outreach activities must be extended to those who are at-risk, not those who are at risk of offending. Young people ­deserve a place they can seek assistance from bullying, home­lessness, domestic and family violence, alcohol and other drug issues, whether their own or a friend or family member’s.

Youth in this developmental stage seek acceptance from their peers, require structure, form a sense of identity and values, and partake in risk-taking and experimentation.

Without harm-minimisation education, not only in schools but throughout the community, youth will rely on the actions of their peers to guide their own decisions.

Past trauma is recognised as a contributing factor in the ­development of alcohol and other drug issues throughout adulthood; experiencing loss and the resolution of loss are components to development.

Adequate and appropriate support in community and schools during these times of adversity is increasingly ­important to the social and emotional wellbeing of the child or young person.

A specialised youth service recognises the developmental stages of young people and works with them, adapting the service they require to their ­developmental stage. Youth-specific service in turn recognises the neurodevelopmental impairments youth may have acquired or been born with.

Youth workers are trained to understand these impairments, recognise developmental stages and tailor the service to the young person’s needs.

Neurodevelopmental assessment services and tools need to be readily accessible and available to all sectors to provide a holistic, effective service. Youth workers are ­imperative to the success of a youth service; appropriate consumer participation is essential to the development and ­execution of youth programs.

Relationship building is critical to the engagement ­of vulnerable, at-risk young ­people.

Youth are likely to fluctuate in their motivation and building trust with a worker is the first step to ensuring a successful therapeutic intervention.

Therapeutic interventions and programs for youth ­experiencing harmful substance use are available in very few places in the Northern Territory.

Sending young people to Central Australia to receive treatment alone does not make changes within their community or foster a support system when they return.

The skills they learn through drug and alcohol ­interventions need to be supported by communities and family members. The need for regional and well-placed culturally appropriate drug and alcohol treatment services for young people is apparent in the feedback from AADANT members and community members throughout the Northern Territory.

Young people cannot be ­expected to undergo the same treatment as adults and heed similar results.

– Katie Flynn, from Sector Capacity Building at the Association of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies NT