The Latest Breaking News from Anne Hollonds

Government says authorities will refer children under 12 and their families to parenting and behavioural change programs to break the cycle of offending

A child protection charity is calling for more support for children who experience violence at home, saying their trauma lasts into adulthood.

One of the people instrumental in the examination of the notorious Don Dale youth prison in Darwin says Tasmania's government should "learn from the example" of how the Northern Territory went against the recommendations of a damning royal commission into its facility for young offenders.

Family members of teenage boys relocated to Western Australia's highest security prison fear the move will ensnare them in a cycle of violence, as the national children's commissioner says disadvantaged youth are being blamed for system failures.