Circuit Breaker Program

The new Circuit Breaker Program provides intensive support to young people aged 10 to 17 years old and their families in Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin.

They offer:

• intensive case management support for young people at risk of entering the youth justice or child protection system
• a Safe Place to sleep if no family or safe housing options are available
• frontline supervision in Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin.

The Circuit Breaker Program is a trial that will run until 30 June 2025.

Intensive case management

Specialist youth workers and child protection staff will deliver one-on-one engagement and relationship development with young people and their families to:

• identify when they’re vulnerable to becoming involved in the youth justice or child protection system
• provide support and interventions that meet individual needs
• encourage them to make positive life choices through early intervention and reconnection to education and training, counselling or health services.

Safe Place

Where a young person is found out and about without proper adult supervision late at night or engaging in unsafe or antisocial behaviours, DCF teams or police will first attempt to find and return young people to parents or family.

Where parents or family cannot be found, or if home is deemed unsafe, young people will be taken to a Safe Place to sleep or rest until either the parents can be located, or a child protection investigation is undertaken.

Families will then be expected to visit DCF offices to review the young person’s behaviours and assess other factors such as school attendance, unsafe homelife or any medical and mental health issues.

Saltbush will provide the Safe Place in Alice Springs while DCF will provide the Safe Place for Darwin in Palmerston. Both will operate 24/7 as required. A third Safe Place will be provided by the department in Katherine from Thursday – Sunday.

Frontline supervision

Teams in Alice Springs and Darwin are on patrol on weekdays, weekends and public holidays to identify young people at risk or engaging in antisocial behaviour. Teams in Katherine are on patrol from 6pm Thursdays until 6pm Sundays. Police can also refer young people to the team for follow up.

Young people will be taken home or to a Safe Place to sleep if no family can be identified at the time. Families will then be expected to visit DCF offices to review the young person’s behaviours and assess other factors such as school attendance, unsafe homelife or any medical and mental health issues.

Family Responsibility Agreements

A Family Responsibility Agreement will be developed if we believe it will assist in resolving the young person’s behaviours or if the behaviours, actions or inactions of parents are causing or contributing to the young person’s behaviours.

For more information on Family Responsibility Agreements, see: Support for families with an at-risk child or young person