UnitingCare Wesley Adelaide

Ref:9/2003

14 May, 2003

Breaching – Impacts on Young People

…”to use bureaucratic processes to deprive someone of what may be their only means of subsistence is a challenge to notions of citizenship and human rights”.  This is a quote from a report being released today by the Social Policy Research Group (from Uni of SA) and Adelaide Central Mission.  The report is titled “Breaching and Disadvantaged Young People: the Social and Financial Impacts”

The research project found that many young people in the study had very unstable social and financial supports.  These young people also indicated that they had few friends and poor community connections such as involvement with clubs or social groups.  Many young people felt highly disconnected from the community..

For these disadvantaged young people, engagement in both education and employment were largely unsuccessful with most of the young people in the study reporting that their experiences were negative and their connection to education was at best tenuous.

The most alarming findings were the precarious state of accommodation and the number of serious health conditions of the young people interviewed.

Their capacity to undertake the activity requirements of ‘mutual obligations’ consequently was significantly diminished.  Within this context the report found that “the impact of penalties further exacerbates the deprivation experienced by disadvantaged young people” (P. 36).

The report also highlighted the impact that breaching has had upon service providers who are attempting to support disadvantaged young people.

Executive Manager of research and Development with Adelaide Central Mission, Chris Talbot said “The report highlights the injustices of a breaching and penalty system that fails to support young people in developing skills and contributing to the workforce and community”

Dr Lorraine Kerr, co author with Harry Savelsberg will be presenting findings at a forum to be held at Adelaide Central Mission today at 12.30.

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