Community leaders in a Kimberley town, frustrated by high rates of youth crime, have pushed for a comprehensive analysis of services in a bid for improvement.
Late last week, representatives from Halls Creek District High School held a meeting with parents, community members and service providers to brainstorm strategies to address youth offending.
The meeting was called after ongoing break-ins, car thefts and rock attacks that some fear could drive much-needed teachers away from the town.
Teachers are working to turn around chronically low school attendance rates.
The secondary attendance rate at Halls Creek District High School fell from 38 per cent in 2021 to 26 per cent last year, compared to 80 per cent across Western Australia's public schools.
Youth crime rates remain persistently high, and homes occupied by government workers have been a regular target.
Yura Yungi Medical Service chief executive Brenda Garstone attended the meeting and said it was a positive step forward in on-going efforts to tackle the issue at a community level.
"We all agreed, it can't continue. It's not a quick-fix solution … it's very complex and we need to look at it from all angles," she said.
She said one idea put forward was to hold a forum involving Aboriginal organisations, service providers and government departments so they could conduct a 'mapping-and-gapping analysis' of current programs that tackle youth crime and disadvantage.
"To identify … do we have the resources on the ground? And have a good reflection on our services and see where we all may need to improve and change the way we do things in our community," Ms Garstone said.
"Have the issues superseded the services that are currently being provided? Or do we need more services or more resources?"
There are many Indigenous-led programs in Halls Creek working with struggling parents and children, but a lack of long-term funding is a barrier to meaningful change.
Call for more intensive work with families
Leaders on the ground hope this year will be a turning point for Halls Creek District High School as it works to return kids to classrooms.
Last year the Education Department announced a range of measures and extra staff to tackle the problem following a damning report into the botched rollout of student attendance plans in 2020.
Parents have praised the creation of a community-led Aboriginal advisory group to help create culturally driven attendance strategies.
Ms Garstone stressed that intensive work with at-risk households was the key to making a difference in the face of entrenched intergenerational dysfunction.
"There needs to be a grassroots-driven approach. It can't be a top-down approach. It has to be community owned," she said.
"[We need to] refine our approach and response, so we can have a bigger impact to improve the situation here in Halls Creek."
The WA Government is currently funding a trial program in Halls Creek, which aims to improve the lives of a handful of families with children who are at risk of falling into state care.
A crisis meeting involving State department heads was held late last year to address youth crime and it also included calls for better collaboration between service providers and agencies.
