By Judge Tony FitzGerald
Aotearoa New Zealand’s youth justice system, and the place of the Youth Court within it, is considered one of the most innovative and progressive in the world.
One prominent feature of the system is the emphasis, wherever possible, on not charging young people and bringing them to court. Instead, the focus is on police-led, community-based alternative action.
About 80% of young people who come to police attention are dealt with in that way. Those who do come to court are generally facing very serious charges and most have a complex range of issues that need to be addressed in addition to the charges they face.
Another prominent feature is the Family Group Conference (FGC) which plays a fundamental role in the process. By including victims, the FGC provides the opportunity for a restorative justice approach, even though such a concept would not have been known to the legislature when the Oranga Tamariki Act1989 was first introduced more than 31 years ago. Similarly, although what we now call solution-focused courts would not have been known to the legislature at the time the Act was first introduced, its provisions have always pointed toward the Youth Court taking a solution-focused approach.
For these and other reasons, lawyers who work in the Youth Court (youth advocates) are specialists who must be found suitable before being appointed to the role, by virtue of their training, experience, personality and understanding of the significance and importance of different cultural perspectives and values. It is challenging but rewarding work.
Despite those and other unique features of the Youth Court’s work and youth advocate role, until now there have never been any specialist, practical workshops or training provided for lawyers wanting to do this important work, along similar lines to the training provided for those who work as lawyers representing children in the Family Court.
ADLS is offering the first-ever conference of its kind, aimed at lawyers already working as youth advocates and those wanting to do so in future. It will take a practical, skills-based approach aimed at giving participants a toolbox of skills to use in their work.
The organisers have brought together a line-up of experienced presenters who will cover a variety of topics crucial to the youth advocate role. That will include a broad overview of the youth justice system, the major challenges the court is facing and how it is responding to those challenges, and the specific issues that are fundamental to best practice.
The inaugural Youth Advocates Conference will take place at the Ellerslie Event Centre on Friday 26 February from 10am – 2.30pm. You can attend in person or via livestream.
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