Young people

Canterbury's young people are our future leaders.

We want our young people to make positive choices about their future and to have the right information to make good life decisions. Young people are most successful when they have a purpose. Education, training and work can offer that purpose.

If our young people get into trouble with the law, we want to help them get on the right track. For the small number of young people who are committing serious crimes, we're taking action in an effort to stop them from becoming career criminals.

Youth employment

Finding a job can be an overwhelming task for anyone. Many young people come into the labour market with limited skills and limited work experience. We want to make this task easier for young people by helping them to find the right job or the right training.

Youth Opportunities package
Times are hard for communities and their young people. The number of young people who don't have a job is four times higher now than it was this time last year. The Government announced the Youth Opportunities package, working with employers and communities to find opportunities for 16 to 24-year-olds, to work, train or stay in education.

In 2009/2010 as part of the Youth Opportunities package we will:

• fund entry-level jobs for six months, to build experience and confidence
• make 3,000 places for young people to work on community projects
• create extra job training placements through industry partnerships
• expand the Limited Service Volunteer Scheme by an extra 1,250 places.

In 2009/2010 we'll help Canterbury's young people get jobs by:

• helping them make informed decisions about school, training and work
• helping them get industry relevant skills
• finding workplaces where young people can work, learn and receive ongoing mentoring and support.

Getting young people to reach their potential

It's important for all young people to have the best chance at reaching their full potential through education or skills training. Some young people need more help than others to make good decisions about their future. We will provide support and guidance to young people to help them make a successful transition from school into training or employment.

In Canterbury, we are introducing a new Youth Transition Service (YTS). The service will work with all young people moving on from secondary school, and will be available in every high school in the region. School leavers will have the opportunity to be supported by youth coaches as they move from school into further education, training or work. Youth coaches will also ensure young people not moving into further education, training or work will have their destination mapped out and receive the right level of support to build their long-term economic and social independence.

Student support
Over the next year we will extend the MyStudyLink online account service so students can assess their eligibility for most forms of support and apply for it online in one seamless process.

We meet twice a year with educational providers and student association representatives to plan for peak season (beginning and midyear) activities and to discuss new initiatives and any changes to policies or procedures. This helps us to provide students with comprehensive options for financing their studies so they can make good decisions about the options they choose.

Living independently
The transition from residential care back into the community can be a difficult time for a young person. We are making sure young people leaving the care of Child, Youth and Family get the right advice and support to help them live independently. This means we help them to find a job, to get a flat and to create a budget, and we help them with other details of day-to-day living the young person has not experienced on their own. Through the Ara Hou multiagency meetings, while the young person is still in care, we help come up with a single plan to support the young person's move into the community. We keep in touch after they leave our care to help their transition from care into the community go as smoothly as possible.

Getting young people on the right path

Fresh Start
In August 2009 the Prime Minister announced an expanded Fresh Start for Young Offenders programme, building on the youth justice announcements made earlier in the year. The aim of the programme is to stop young people from reoffending by helping young people involved in low-level offending to get back on track, by holding serious and persistent young offenders to account, and by addressing the root causes of offending.

Some of the initiatives, announced as part of Fresh Start for Young Offenders, include:

• structured community youth programmes for low-level young offenders
• participation in either community or residential court-ordered drug and alcohol programmes, parenting and mentoring programmes
• Youth Court-supervised camps and greater Youth Court powers
• Supervision with Activity Orders with extra places in a range of programmes that incorporate elements of military-style training
• military-style activity camps for serious young offenders.

Reducing youth offending
Some young people get caught in a cycle of offending and reoffending. This can lead to more serious incidents further down the track. We are working to help break this pattern early in the offending cycle. We know the most effective way to curb offending is through whole-community efforts. We are working with communities to find solutions to help encourage these young people to be involved with education, training or work.

In 2009/2010 we'll work to reduce youth offending rates by:

• putting multiagency plans in place to help Canterbury's worst youth offenders change their lives
• ensuring comprehensive health and education assessments are available to inform Family Group Conferences
• engaging with and supporting organisations and families in the management of young people who offend
• developing individualised plans for young people that address the underlying issues that can lead to offending.