Abstract
INTRODUCTION: This article focuses on the social work contribution to service improvement by reflecting on the establishment of the first youth forensic forum in Aotearoa New Zealand, held in October 2018.APPROACH: An exploration of the Aotearoa New Zealand context that led to the establishment of the first youth forensic workforce forum is presented. Issues included disjointed mental health care for young offenders who move between secure residences, concerns about over- assessment of vulnerable young people, silo-ed specialist youth forensic knowledge, and a disconnected workforce. Led by a social worker, youth forensic workforce issues were addressed through the inaugural national youth forensic forum in 2018. The aim of the forum was to bring a disparate workforce together in order to improve mental health assessment experiences for young people within youth justice residences. This initiative was grounded in social work approaches of Māori responsivity, networking, ecological systems and relational practice.CONCLUSION: Social workers have an important role in advocating for, and effecting, system change. The process for doing so within the youth forensic forum is presented. Social workers in all fields of practice are encouraged to consider how they work to make systems more responsive to the people they serve.
Highlights
This article focuses on the social work contribution to service improvement by reflecting on the establishment of the first youth forensic forum in Aotearoa New Zealand, held in October 2018.APPROACH: An exploration of the Aotearoa New Zealand context that led to the establishment of the first youth forensic workforce forum is presented
When working as a social worker in a large organisation, it can be challenging to advocate for human rights and social justice, which are core tenets of the social work profession
While a young person can be sentenced through the youth court to be placed in a residence for up to six months, a recent review by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (2019) found that 80% of the 140 young people in youth justice residences were on remand while awaiting a court outcome
Summary
Social workers have an important role in advocating for, and effecting, system change. Social workers in all fields of practice are encouraged to consider how they work to make systems more responsive to the people they serve. We are trained to use our sphere of influence to effect positive change. We have the social work tools and knowledge to contribute empowering solutions to systemic issues, even within large-scale organisations. An example of social work contribution to service change is presented below, with the invitation to consider what changes could be implemented within other fields of practice. The youth forensic landscape is detailed, followed by an exploration of the use of social work values and frameworks to identify a problem, and suggestions on how to implement creative and sustainable solutions
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