Early Action Groups coordinate multi-agency case management for children aged 8–16 years who are at moderate/high risk of future offending and their families. They provide early intervention responses that address the complex cultural, social, and economic factors contributing to young people's offending behaviour, including:
- family functioning
- health needs
- educational disengagement
- substance use
- negative peers
- pro-criminal attitudes.
As part of the Townsville Stronger Communities initiative, an Early Action Group has operated in Townsville since 2016.
In February 2023, the Queensland Government announced a plan to tackle the complex causes of youth crime and strengthen community safety. An important part of this plan is investing in programs proven to make a difference. This includes expanding the Early Action Groups to Mount Isa and Cairns.
Purpose of Early Action Groups
Early Action Groups help to:
- address the underlying factors that lead to young people offending
- improve the functioning of high-risk young people and their families
- build a stronger and safer community.
The Early Action Groups:
- identify and case manage 20 at-risk young people and their families to divert these young people away from the justice system
- develop place-based solutions to improve better outcomes for young people who are at high risk of entering the Youth Justice system.
Target group
For a young person to be referred to Early Action Groups for support, they need to:
- be aged 8–16 years
- not be case managed by Youth Justice or Child Safety
- be coming to the attention of police or Youth Justice and have offending risk factors
- be assessed as at a moderate or high risk of offending.
Multi-agency approach
The Early Action Group involve the following government agencies:
- Queensland Police Service
- Department of Youth Justice
- Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services
- Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts
- Queensland Health – Hospital and Health Services
- Department of Education
- Department of Housing
- Department of Corrective Services (non-operational member).
Together, these agencies work with community stakeholders to establish place-based solutions, or add value to existing solutions, to ensure young people and their families connect to services that can address underlying factors contributing to a young person's offending behaviour. This may include initiatives that improve access to:
- the National Disability Insurance Scheme
- specialist mental health services
- education
- housing services.
Townsville Early Action Group
The Townsville Early Action Group is co-located with the Queensland Police Service.
Contact us
Email: NQR_EAG_Townsville@cyjma.qld.gov.au
Telephone: (07) 4789 9550
Last updated 18 June 2024
