PCYC future focus of strategic plan

Launched by president Sue Gordon, the plan also focuses on the important role of staff and partnerships in developing effective programs for WA’s youth.

It outlined how WA PCYC will achieve the right balance of intervention, diversion and recreational programs that will help youths become responsible members of the community. Chief executive John Gillespie said WA PCYC was focused on how it could work with talented and committed staff, local organisations and WA Police to get the best outcomes possible.

Claremont resident Peter Browne, who authored the 2012 Browne Report into the WA PCYC, said the relationship with the police was irreplaceable. ‘The great rewards will come from the formal establishment of the redirection or re-engagement centres utilising the skills and role modelling of police officers and trained trade and education tutors,’ he said.

‘I would hope that formal relationships with the judicial system and Department of Education will ensure that… young people who have disengaged from mainstream society will have the opportunity to develop both the employment and social skills to enable them to reconnect.’