Research to Inform the Development of the Youth Diversion Communication Strategy in the East Kimberly and Central Desert Region (CDR) 

• 4.1 Setting the scene
• 4.2 Key Research Themes

4.1 Setting the scene

During this research CIRCA approached several youth focused services in Alice Springs, Kununurra, Halls Creek and surrounding areas, to scope the programs, communications and messaging that exist in these areas targeting substance misuse among Aboriginal young people.

This research offers a snapshot of how youth focused services are delivered in these areas, but does not comprehensively map all services provided in all remote communities in the Central Australian and East Kimberley Regions.

This research mapped the service delivery landscape with regards to youth diversion, in order to understand communication opportunities and current experience in this area.

4.1.1 Central Desert Region

With the exception of Alice Springs, communities in this area are classified as remote or very remote. These remote communities are mostly geographically isolated and may, although not exclusively, consist of basic services such as:

• Health clinic
• Shire offices
• Community store
• School (primary and occasionally secondary)
• Arts centre.

For additional services such as youth specific services (including diversion programs), drug and alcohol services (including volatile substance services), specialist medical services (including mental health and allied health services), Alice Springs, and other regional hubs (such as Tennant Creek and Katherine) are accessed. Access to these services is based on visits to Alice Springs, or where funding permits, outreach work conducted in communities by these services. Organisations in Alice Springs generally focus on servicing either the township region (including town camps) or remote communities, as focusing on both requires considerable resource and funding allocation.

Alice Springs

Due to historical and geographical circumstance, Alice Springs has long been the central hub for service delivery for the CDR area. With a range of government and non-government organisations residing in Alice Springs, there are several youth specific services available to young Aboriginal people in both the town and surrounding communities. These programs range from harm minimisation initiatives to preventative programs, and run on a short term and long term basis.

To the outside eye these services may seem to represent a cacophony of voices targeting substance misuse among Aboriginal young people. However it is important to note that many services are specific in their scope and may only target one geographical, cultural or linguistic area or group of people.

The following table provides a summary of some of the key organisations servicing young people in Alice Springs and surrounding communities in the area of youth diversion.

4.1.2 East Kimberly Region

Most consultations were conducted with organisations based in Kununurra (site visit) and Halls Creek. Additional stakeholders were accessed in Broome and Perth. It is worth noting that in comparison to Alice Springs, there are fewer youth services in the Kununurra area, and fewer services where staff have expertise in working with Aboriginal young people in remote communities.

The following table provides a summary of some of the organisations identified in the research. As can be seen, there are large gaps with regards to services targeting Aboriginal youth.

4.2 Key Research Themes

4.2.1 Substance Use

Since the roll out of Opal fuel in the CDR and the East Kimberly Regions, reports of petrol sniffing have been minimal. Despite occasional outbreaks in a few isolated communities, there is substantiated evidence supporting supply reduction strategies (such as the availability of Opal fuel) as unequivocal in alleviating most petrol sniffing across these areas. Several stakeholders consulted in this research conveyed this opinion and fully supported the legislation of Opal across CDR and other parts of Australia as a primary strategy for addressing petrol sniffing.

Around the Alice Springs area, there are organisations who are working closely with retailers to roll out similar supply reduction strategies curbing the availability and restricting the sale of other volatile substances. One such strategy pursued by Central Australian Youth Link-Up Service (CAYLUS) has involved working with retailers to source low-fume spray paints and restrict the sale of glue to minors.

Alongside this, retailers in Alice Springs have banded together under a voluntary code of practice – 'No School No Service' - whereby retailers agree to refuse service to any child under the age of 15 without adult supervision in shops during school hours. Whilst relatively new (introduced in March 2009), many local youth services are optimistic about this code of practice.

As mentioned above, there has been a significant reduction in VSA since the roll out of Opal fuel in 2007, although it is important to note that sniffing still occurs on occasion, with outbreaks that tend to be infrequent, and locally contained.

Where sniffing outbreaks have occurred, the research suggests organisations in these locations have been quick to target and respond to outbreaks, and work with local communities to isolate the incidences swiftly. For example, in one remote community an organisation had dispatched a youth worker who spent three months in the community working closely with the local sport and recreation workers in a mentoring role, and assisting in running the youth program. This involved liaising with community, and involving older people in the youth program. For example, the youth worker organised for older men to teach young people how to make boomerangs, and a video of this was produced for the community. This included accessing professionals who did training on video production in the community, and the video was shown at the local movie night. As well, the rapid response team visited the community in the first two days after the outbreak had been identified and worked directly with the sniffers and their family. When working with the family, they utilised a DVD that CAYLUS and NPY had developed on the VSA Act, which was seen to be very effective in explaining the consequences to young people. At the end of the three month program, the youths had stopped sniffing and at the time of the research there had been no further reports of sniffing outbreaks in this community. Within the CDR, there were several examples of sniffing outbreaks that have been successfully addressed, and this success can be attributed to the youth programs that are specifically designed to address VSA, and because of the culture within the service provider organisations of working closely with communities.

Similar responses were gathered from stakeholder interviews in the East Kimberly Region with regards to supply reduction strategies. Many organisations consulted felt that supply reduction strategies, specifically the implementation of Opal fuel, have affected communities positively and have been fundamental in decreasing the extent of sniffing outbreaks in these areas. It is worth noting that Opal fuel is not supplied in the Halls Creek service station.

Along with Opal supply reduction strategies, in WA the East Kimberly Implementation Strategy is in its second year of operation. Some stakeholders felt this group had positively impacted and informed strategies designed to deal with outbreaks of sniffing and VSA at a local level.

The East Kimberley Implementation Strategy is made up of Federal, State and Local Government representatives, and non-Government organisations (NGOs). The main partners for this strategy include several Federal Government agencies (FaHCSIA, Department of Health and Ageing, Attorney General's Department and Department of Employment, Education and Workplace Relations), WA agencies (Drug and Alcohol Office, Department of Child Protection, Department of Indigenous Affairs, Police, Kimberley Community Drug Service Team and Kimberley Mental Health and Drug Service) and Local Government (Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley and Shire of Halls Creek). The NGOs include Save the Children, MG Corp, and Wunan Foundation. There are also community partners and interested members, including a wide range of community organisations and Aboriginal organisations. The implementation strategy is focused on containing the incidence of VSA, and on increasing the resilience and strength of young people. Included in this interagency initiative is a comprehensive Rapid Response Protocol which has worked effectively to contain and manage volatile substance misuse by youth in the area. Every stakeholder has been given a protocol to follow if there is an outbreak in the community. Included in this strategy are resources delivered to organisations from a state level which provide basic information about VSA and avenues for organisations to follow. The interagency model has also been successful in pooling resources and reducing clutter.

It is important to note that while the interagency initiative is in its early days, it was viewed as having been successful to date, and currently the WA government is looking to replicate this model across the state.

Alcohol and marijuana use a major concern

Stakeholders reported increases in marijuana use and cited marijuana and alcohol as the substances causing the greatest harm in communities generally, and for young people in particular.

Most stakeholders consulted in both regions raised concerns about the supply and availability of marijuana in communities, and this was also identified by young men in an East Kimberley community. The two young boys interviewed in the East Kimberley community reported that most of the men that they knew are either “yarndi up” (using marijuana) or “on the charge”. In a Mac Donnell Shire community marijuana was a more recent concern, and although it was not seen to be a major health issue, all stakeholders and community members included in the research would like to see it removed from the community. It was noted that the marijuana dealers usually buy supplies from South Australia, and the purchase of marijuana is often done (every couple of weeks/once a month) via road travel on un-gazetted roads at night, ensuring the dealers go undetected by the police.

Alcohol was a key concern in the East Kimberley community, with several stakeholders noting that the extent of the problem has increased as “drinkers come into town” from dry communities.

 4.2.2 Communications not a priority

Among the organisations included in the research, it was very clear that communications are not seen as a priority. At the coal face there is a real and urgent need for funding and long term support for youth diversion programs, and this need is greater than a need for a communications strategy. It was felt that basic resources for communities should be prioritised before a communications strategy targeting young people is considered.

One-on-one approaches preferred

Additionally, instead of a national or even state or territory campaign, stakeholders felt that government needs to work alongside local organisations to build up and resource local youth programs as the primary communications method. It was articulated that communication needs to be one-on-one, and where possible, delivered by a local worker in-language.

 4.2.3 Opportunity to develop a communications network

The research highlighted that there is a real need for a network that facilitates communication between community organisations and government, thus creating a link from the bottom-up. Currently many organisations feel isolated from government in the field of youth diversion. What is desperately needed is a two-way communication model to not only deliver messages from government to local organisations, but to also transfer information from these organisations to government. This is vital for creating effective and appropriate policy in these areas. Most organisations engaged during consultations welcomed a new model of communication between community organisations and government departments.

4.2.4 Youth models to address communication clutter

Since the roll out of the Northern Territory Emergency Response, communities around the Northern Territory have been inundated with messaging. In already crowded environments there were many reports that communities had 'tuned out' and were 'message fatigued'. In terms of embarking on a communications strategy, many organisations felt that communication strategies targeting youth and community members would be ineffectual or have limited use in an already overcrowded communications landscape. Similarly, it was felt that programs needed to be long term in their focus, as new (usually white) faces appearing all the time fatigues communities further. When programs change regularly, communities are deterred from engagement, and confidence in programs is eroded. Thus messages delivered via these programs do not effectively reach their target audiences.

One model was strongly recommended as a preferred option for combating message and program fatigue, and for leading to the longevity or sustainability of service delivery. This model is based on having one male and one female youth worker on the ground in each community. These workers act as a 'plug in' point for all visiting services and bureaucrats to help manage engagement on youth diversion and VSA issues.

These qualified and experienced workers should work alongside a team of local community members who act as the conduits for messages and youth focused programs. Where this model is in place everyone's efforts can be coordinated in one local point and local communities will not get bombarded with messages and/or message fatigued. This model also provides a go-to point in communities, providing government agencies with access to workers' networks and relationships with community members. Further, key messages can be delivered in communities, on the ground and one-on-one.

This model is believed to be successful and was viewed as a best practice model applicable for remote communities across the NT and East Kimberley Regions. Stakeholders referred positively to the Larapinta learning centre model and the Hidden Valley model that operate in town camps, where community development workers act as the 'plug in' point or coordination point.

It is important to note here that for such a model to succeed, youth workers need to be both qualified and experienced in working in a remote Indigenous setting. These positions should be advertised locally first, then opened up if no suitable community member is available. There have been reports that this model has failed when workers who are inexperienced in a remote setting have been employed. Instead of helping solve the problem, inexperienced workers can potentially make the situation worse, with comments given on high staff turn-over in these cases, as workers seldom stay long in communities. These positions need a high level of support from the organisation and government.

Additionally, if a non-local youth worker is employed, their role needs to incorporate mentoring local community members, in the hope that one day their position will be filled by a community member.

4.2.5 Opal fuel communications needed

Several stakeholders felt there is a need for a communications strategy on Opal fuel, targeting non-Aboriginal Australians and tourists in the CDR and East Kimberley Regions.

In both locations myths exist around Opal fuel, and it was reported that 50% of people in Alice Springs still use non-Opal fuel, due to perceptions that Opal fuel is dangerous for vehicles. The research suggests that in both locations there is a need for a communications strategy targeting regional towns and communities to dispel these myths. Indeed, in response to this need, two organisations in the CDR had designed and distributed a community advertisement for local communities dispelling these myths. There were also reports that the WA government had implemented a campaign targeting tourists, and that there had been some success with this strategy.

4.2.6 Volatile Substance Abuse is a sensitive issue

In terms of communication strategies, it was unanimously felt that due to the sensitive nature of petrol sniffing (and indeed VSA more widely), it is inappropriate to conduct large-scale communications in this area. For example, several stakeholders noted that one of the risks of informing young people that petrol sniffing is dangerous and harmful in contexts where sniffing is not an issue, is that it may act as an education tool on 'how to get high'. It was felt that any communication surrounding VSA would need to be sensitively approached and sparingly used.

4.2.7 An engagement model is the preferred communication strategy

Several organisations saw merit in creating communications strategies as part of youth engagement and education processes. Organisations reported success in delivering key messages to at-risk youth using this approach.

This model employs at-risk youth to design and develop resources aimed at targeting other users. This method is a subtle and non-lecturing process which can effectively engage youth with key messages on harm minimisation and prevention, and educate them on the long term affects of substance misuse. Several examples were given of youth diversion programs that included communications development and/or use of media. While one of the goals of these programs was to develop messages for at-risk young people, this was a secondary outcome, as the primary aims were to provide youth diversion activities and to deliver information to the at-risk youth involved. A key benefit of this approach is that young people have ownership of the messages. As well, messages are developed that are highly targeted in terms of language and relevance.

In terms of a national or even state or territory based communications strategy, it was also felt that messages would get 'lost in translation' as many of the targeted audiences have limited English and literacy levels.

In this instance it was felt that if any communications strategy was to be rolled out, it would need to be developed at the community level and delivered in-language.

4.2.8 Relationships with funding bodies

Many organisations wished for improved relationships with funding bodies, with a view to forging lasting partnerships, and in a bid to secure funding for future projects beyond one or two years to tackle long-term issues.

Many organisations felt they needed better access to grant information with central 'go-to' points for accessing information. One stakeholder in Kununurra advised similarly that access to resources needed to rest with one lead government agency. Further it was argued that this body should consult with the Indigenous community in a real and constructive manner to tackle social problems in the community. There were concerns that often staff based in regional centres are not accessible to remote communities, with infrequent visits and a lack of focus and understanding of the needs in these communities.