Lifting the lid on youth violence

BETWEEN 2009 and 2014, more than 2000 offences reported in WA came from homes where the perpetrator was aged between 10 and 17.

The data is outlined a report entitled The Making of Good Men and Women by Women's Health and Family Services, which responds to youth violence in the home.

The report said that out of the 2013 offences reported, 1416 were reported as assaults and 181 as sexual assaults. The rest were for deprivation of liberty, threatening behaviour and robbery.

"These numbers are only an indication of domestic and family violence perpetrated by youth that have been reported and it would be difficult to measure the true extent of youth violence in the home as most assaults and offences go unreported," the report said.

Como resident Fiona Reid, the organisation's head of strategic operations, was responsible for bringing government and non-government agencies together to form the working group which created the report.

"We wanted to find out the situation in WA and find out what was actually happening," she said.

"We also wanted to find out what works and what other people were doing."

The mission of the working group was to provide leadership to reduce youth violence in the home and its impact on families and communities by organising community forums, best practice advocacy, policy development and highlighting future research initiatives.

She said the group hoped that compiling this report would put the issue on the public agenda.

Child Protection Minister Helen Morton said she shared the concerns of Women's Health and Family Services and the need to address the more invisible aspect of domestic and family violence.