A focus on:
· wellbeing of children and young people
· early intervention in a young person’s life
· local or place-based projects
· genuine community partnerships
· community-led planning and solutions
· community engagement
· use of local evidence and data
· long-term commitment
Well-being of children and young people
An understanding of the complex social, health, wellbeing and personal issues that may contribute to the risk of a young person engaging in criminal behaviour.
Early intervention in a young person’s life
A primary focus on working as early as possible on a child’s health and support needs, and at critical points of their life to reduce the level of risk factors and enhance protective factors, thereby preventing criminal behaviour and diverting children away from contact with the criminal justice system.
Local or place-based projects
Localised and place-based or targeted to a specific community or demographic.
Genuine community partnerships
Genuine partnership between local government, government departments, business, philanthropy, community leaders and community organisations.
Community-led planning and solutions
A commitment to community-led planning and implementation of solutions.
Community engagement
Meaningful engagement and inclusion of views and perspectives from community members, families, children and young people.
Use of local evidence and data
Reliance on evidence and data to assist community to identify and tackle their own challenges, and monitor and evaluate the impact of their initiatives.
Long-term commitment
A commitment and long-term investment by government and funders, allowing time and resources for this approach to be effective.