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 these roles and aim to fulfil these roles 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).
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 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).
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, provided by the AIHW. Community services expenditure data in this Preface were aggregated from the individual chapters in this Report. 
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 — including children’s services, which aim to meet the care, education and development needs of children. Activities that seek to protect children from abuse and neglect or harm, through statutory intervention and support for families are also included. 
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  (in relation to young people and people with intellectual and psychiatric disabilities on court orders) — activities that involve correctional and rehabilitative supervision and the protection of public safety, through corrective arrangements and advice to courts and parole boards.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); 2007 Report, box F.1, p. F.2.	
	
	Indigenous data in the community services preface
The community services preface in the Report on Government Services 2007 (2007 Report) contains the following data items on Indigenous people:
•	average daily population in juvenile detention (number), 2000-01 to 2004-05
•	average annual rate of detention in juvenile detention, 2000-01 to 2004-05
As the data are directly sourced from the 2007 Report, the compendium notes where the original table, figure or text in the 2007 Report can be found. For example, where the compendium refers to ‘2007 Report, p. F.15’ this is page 15 of the community services preface of the 2007 Report, and ‘2007 Report, table F.2’ is table 2 of the community services preface of the 2007 Report.
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 include, for example: the diversion of young people from the more formal criminal justice system (courts) 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, each with 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 young person 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 young people 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 reduction. Many of the services provided by juvenile justice agencies are aimed at: rehabilitating young people; minimising the level, and future involvement of young people in the justice system; reducing the over representation of Indigenous young people in the justice system; maintaining the young person’s connection with family, culture and community; providing young people with an appropriate level of care and safety (duty of care); increasing young people’s accountability to victims; and improving community safety.
Juvenile detentions
The following data relate to juvenile detention only and do not describe the operation of community-based services, which, as noted above, 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 in detention 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 publishes an annual report on juveniles in detention who are either on remand, or sentenced, or both. The AIC data detail the number of young people aged 10–17 years held in juvenile detention centres at the end of each quarter. The AIC data is more current than that available from the Juvenile Justice National Minimum Data Set (JJ NMDS).
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 decreased from 611 to 595 between 2000-01 and 2004‑05 (2007 Report, table F.2, p. F.9). The daily average number of Indigenous young people aged 10–17 years detained in juvenile detention centres was 322 in 2004-05 (table CSP.1).
Table CSP.1	Daily average population of Indigenous people aged 
10–17 years in juvenile detention (number)a
	NSW b	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
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	
2004-05	  111	  12	  53	  87	  28	  7	  6	  19	  322	
aAverage based on population of juvenile detention centres on the last day of each quarter of the financial year. b NSW data from 31 March 2005 include Kariong Juvenile Correction Centre detainees, sourced from the NSW Department of Corrective Services. 
Source: AIC (unpublished); 2007 Report, table F.5, p. F.11. 
Nationally, the daily average detention rate for Indigenous people aged 10–17 years in 2004-05 was 322.8 per 100 000 Indigenous people aged 10–17 years. This rate compared to 12.9 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 people aged 10–17 years in juvenile detention, per 100 000 peoplea, b, c
	NSW d	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Indigenous									
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	
2004-05	368.5	179.4	189.0	616.3	508.3	181.9	696.8	174.9	322.8	
Non-Indigenous									
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	15.9	9.1	8.9	13.8	20.3	39.6	39.4	12.2	13.9	
2004-05	15.4	7.8	8.5	10.8	19.2	49.8	25.4	17.4	12.9	
aDetention rates are 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. d NSW data from 31 March 2005 include Kariong Juvenile Correction Centre detainees, sourced from the NSW Department of Corrective Services. na Not available. 
Source: AIC (unpublished); 2007 Report, table F.6, p. F.11.
The over representation of Indigenous young people in detention across jurisdictions in 2004-05 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, 2004‑05a, b, c, d
	
aDetention rates are 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. d NSW data from 31 March 2005 include Kariong Juvenile Correction Centre detainees, sourced from the NSW Department of Corrective Services.
Source: AIC (unpublished); 2007 Report, figure F.3, p. F.12.

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.