D	Community services preface
Part D: Community services preface
Families are the principal providers of care for children, older people and people with a disability (ABS 2001). Community services aim to help families to undertake this role and aim to fulfil this role when families are not in a position to provide care. Community services covered by this Report encompass aged care services (see chapter 12), services for people with a disability (see chapter 13), children’s services (see chapter 14), and protection and support services (child protection, supported placements, and supported accommodation and assistance) (see chapter 15).
Community service activities (box CSP.1) typically include those activities ‘which assist or support members of the community in personal functioning as individuals or as members of the wider community’ (AIHW 1997, p. 3). They may include financial assistance and relief to people in crisis, and housing assistance of a short term or transitional nature, but they exclude acute health care services (see chapters 9–11), long term housing assistance (see chapter 16) and income support (such as social security pensions and allowances).
The definition of community service activities contained in this preface is based on the National Classification of Community Services developed by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW 2003) (box CSP.1). Community services expenditure data were aggregated for this Preface from the individual chapters in the Report.
As in previous years, this preface includes descriptive data obtained from the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) on the number and detention rates of young people in detention. In addition, it includes data on the number of young people on community-based orders in each jurisdiction. It is anticipated that the Report will contain performance reporting on juvenile justice in future years. 
Performance information on community services as a whole is not currently reported. While there are many interactions among the various community services, the services and their funding and delivery systems are too varied to enable aggregate community services reporting.

Box CSP.1	Community service activities 	
Personal and social support — activities that provide support for personal or social functioning in daily life. Such activities promote the development of personal skills for successful functioning as individuals, family members and members of the wider community. Personal and social support activities include the provision of information, advice and referral, personal advocacy, counselling, domestic assistance and personal assistance. The purpose of such support may be to enable individuals to live and function in their own homes or normal places of residence. 
Support for children, families and carers — the provision of care, educational, developmental and recreational activities for children (usually aged 0–12 years) by paid workers. Activities are included that seek to protect children from child abuse and neglect or harm, through statutory intervention and support for families. 
Training, vocational rehabilitation and employment — activities that assist people who are disadvantaged in the labour market by providing training, job search skills, help in finding work, placement and support in open employment or, where appropriate, supported employment. 
Financial and material assistance — activities that enhance personal functioning and facilitate access to community services, through the provision of emergency or immediate financial assistance and material goods. 
Residential care and supported accommodation — activities provided in special purpose residential facilities, including accommodation in conjunction with other types of support, such as assistance with necessary day-to-day living tasks and intensive forms of care such as nursing care. 
Corrective services — activities that involve correctional and rehabilitative supervision and the protection of public safety, through corrective arrangements and advice to courts and parole boards, in relation to young people and people with intellectual and psychiatric disabilities on court orders.a 
Service and community development and support  — activities that provide support aimed at articulating and promoting improved social policies; promoting greater public awareness of social issues; developing and supporting community‑based activities, special interest and cultural groups; and developing and facilitating the delivery of quality community services. Activities include the development of public policy submissions, social planning and social action, the provision of expert advice, coordination, training, staff and volunteer development, and management support to service providers. 	
a This preface uses the term ‘juvenile justice’ to refer to detention and community‑based supervision services for young people who have committed or allegedly committed an offence while considered by law to be a juvenile.	
Source: AIHW (2003); 2006 Report, p. F.2, box F.1.	
	
	Some of the performance indicators in the following chapters were also reported as key indicators in the report on Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2005. The Indigenous Disadvantage framework included the following indicators relating to community services: 
•	juvenile diversions as a proportion of all juvenile offenders
•	substantiated child protection notifications
•	children on care and protection orders.
Indigenous data in the community services preface
The community services preface in the Report on Government Services 2006 (2006 Report) contains the following data items on Indigenous people:
•	average daily population in juvenile corrective institutions (number), 1999-2000 to 2003-04
•	average annual rate of detention in juvenile corrective institutions, 1999-2000 to 2003-04.
As the data are directly sourced from the 2006 Report, the compendium notes where the original table, figure or text in the 2006 Report can be found. For example, where the compendium refers to ‘2006 Report, p. F.15’ this is page 15 of the community services preface of the 2006 Report, and ‘2006 Report, table F.2’ is table 2 of the community services preface of the 2006 Report.
Roles and responsibilities
Government involvement in community services includes:
•	funding non-government community service organisations (which then provide community services to clients) 
•	providing services to clients directly 
•	regulating non-government providers
•	undertaking policy development and administration.
The relative contribution of government to the direct provision of services varies across community service activities. Statutory protection and placement, and juvenile justice services are provided primarily by government, while residential care and accommodation support, and other community services activities are provided primarily by non-government organisations.

Juvenile justice
The juvenile justice system is responsible for dealing with young people (predominantly aged 10–17 years) who have committed or allegedly committed an offence while considered by law to be a juvenile. Each jurisdiction has its own legislation that dictates the policies and practices of its juvenile justice system. While this legislation varies in detail, its intent is similar across jurisdictions. Key elements of juvenile justice systems in all jurisdictions, for example, include: the diversion of young people from the more formal criminal justice system (court) where appropriate; detention as a last resort; victim’s rights; the acceptance of responsibility by the young person appropriate to developmental stage for his or her behaviour; and community safety.
The juvenile justice system in each jurisdiction comprises several organisations, with each having a different primary role and responsibility in dealing with young people. These include:
•	police, who are usually the young person’s first point of contact with the system. Where considered appropriate, the police may administer warnings or cautions and, in some jurisdictions, use conferencing to divert the juvenile from proceeding to court.
•	courts (usually a special children’s or youth court), where matters relating to the charges against the young person are heard. The courts are largely responsible for decisions regarding bail (and remand) and sentencing options if the young person admits guilt or is found guilty by the court. 
•	juvenile justice agencies, which are responsible for the supervision and case management of juveniles on a range of community-based legal arrangements and in detention, and for the provision of a wide range of services aimed at crime prevention and diversion. Many of the services provided by juvenile justice agencies are aimed at: rehabilitating young people; minimising the level of, and future involvement of, young people in the justice system; reducing the over‑representation of Indigenous young people in the justice system; maintaining the clients’ connection with family, culture and community; providing clients with an appropriate level of care and safety (duty of care); increasing client accountability to victims; and improving community safety.
Juvenile detentions
This Report includes descriptive data on the number and detention rates of juveniles in detention. The following data relate to juvenile detention only and do not describe the operation of community-based services, which supervise the majority of juvenile offenders. Jurisdictions also have different definitions of a juvenile, which may have an impact on the number and rates reported for people aged
10–17 years.
Data on the number of juveniles include those on remand as well as those sentenced. In some jurisdictions (for example, WA), juveniles who have been arrested and have not yet appeared before a court are also held in a detention centre.
The AIC uses ABS experimental projections for its estimates of the Indigenous population (ABS 2004). These data include a range of estimates (low and high). The AIC data are based on high level estimates, unlike other sections of this Report. 
Nationally, the daily average number of people aged 10–17 years detained in juvenile detention centres fell from 647 to 590 between 1999‑2000 and 2003‑04 (2006 Report, p. F.10, table F.2). The daily average number of Indigenous young people aged 10–17 years detained in juvenile detention centres was 298 in 2003-04 (table CSP.1).
Table CSP.1	Daily average population of Indigenous people aged 
10–17 years in juvenile detention (number)a
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
1999-2000	91	8	60	77	13	na	2	10	261	
2000-01	86	7	53	71	13	na	4	12	246	
2001-02	92	7	53	71	19	na	5	12	259	
2002-03	98	10	54	80	28	na	4	19	295	
2003-04	98	14	54	92	18	6	4	12	298	
aAverage based on population of juvenile detention centres on the last day of each quarter of the financial year. na Not available. 
Source: AIC (unpublished); 2006 Report, p. F.12, table F.5. 
Nationally, the daily average detention rate for Indigenous people aged 10–17 years in 2003-04 was 310.1 per 100 000 Indigenous people aged 10–17 years. This rate compared to 13.9 per 100 000 for the non-Indigenous population aged
10–17 years (table CSP.2). Jurisdictional comparisons need to be treated with caution, especially for those states and territories with low Indigenous populations, where small number effects can introduce statistical variations that do not accurately represent trends over time or consistent differences from other jurisdictions.
Table CSP.2	Average rate of detention of Indigenous and non‑Indigenous people aged 10–17 years in juvenile detention, per 100 000 peoplea, b, c
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Indigenous									
1999-2000	343.5	181.9	250.8	624.1	266.2	na	284.1	97.6	315.1	
2000-01	324.9	142.4	222.2	565.4	265.9	na	524.7	121.4	294.5	
2001-02	351.4	135.8	221.1	555.6	388.2	na	624.4	119.9	307.9	
2002-03	353.8	173.6	212.0	604.7	538.1	na	458.6	182.6	326.6	
2003-04	339.3	231.0	202.6	671.8	333.2	158.7	503.2	108.6	310.1	
Non-Indigenous									
1999-2000	23.6	10.9	13.4	18.7	21.9	na	24.6	31.8	17.8	
2000-01	19.9	10.7	8.7	15.1	29.3	na	36.4	26.6	16.0	
2001-02	17.9	10.7	8.8	17.3	23.0	na	35.7	23.7	15.0	
2002-03	17.5	10.3	10.3	12.2	23.8	na	36.9	30.9	14.9	
2003-04	17.5	9.1	8.9	13.8	20.3	39.6	39.4	12.2	13.9	
aDetention rates based on average population of juvenile detention centres on the last day of each quarter of the financial year. b Indigenous rates for 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 were calculated using high series population data provided by the ABS. Any variation in derived rates may be due to the assumptions and limitations of the base population data. c Jurisdictional comparisons need to be treated with caution, especially for those states and territories with low Indigenous populations, where small number effects can introduce statistical variations that do not accurately represent trends over time or consistent differences from other jurisdictions. na Not available. 
Source: AIC (unpublished); 2006 Report, p. F.12, table F.6.
The overrepresentation of Indigenous young people in detention across jurisdictions in 2003-04 is shown in figure CSP.1.
Figure CSP.1	Average rate of detention of Indigenous and non‑Indigenous people aged 10–17 years in juvenile detention, per 100 000 people, 2003‑04a, b, c
	
aDetention rates based on average population of juvenile detention centres on the last day of each quarter of the financial year. b Indigenous rates were calculated using high series population data provided by the ABS. Any variation in derived rates may be due to the assumptions and limitations of the base population data. c Jurisdictional comparisons need to be treated with caution, especially for those states and territories with low Indigenous populations, where small number effects can introduce statistical variations that do not accurately represent trends over time or consistent differences from other jurisdictions.
Source: AIC (unpublished); 2006 Report, p. F.13, figure F.3.

References
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2001, Community Services, 1999-2000, Cat. no. 8696.0, Canberra.
—— 2004, Experimental Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians 1991‑2009, Cat. no. 3238.0, Canberra.
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 1997, National Classification of Community Services, Version 1.0, Cat. no. HWI 7, Canberra. 
—— 2003, National Classifications of Community Services, Version 2.0, Cat. no. HWI-40, Canberra.