Youth Rural Residential Rehabilitation Centres

This is a program for young offenders in rural and regional areas who are either within the juvenile justice system or at risk of being so because of their drug and alcohol abuse.  Many are in custody. 

The program is intended to support young offenders in the later stages of detoxification and after detoxification, which are critical risk periods for re-offending.   

Focused rehabilitation during this vulnerable period helps reduce juvenile offending associated with drug and alcohol abuse by facilitating lifestyle changes away from destructive behaviours and enabling better detection and management of co-morbidity, particularly mental health and family issues. 

Under the program, these young offenders may be diverted to two adolescent residential drug rehabilitation centres which are operated by the Tef Noffs Foundation under the supervision of the Department of Juvenile Justice.   These centres are: 

• Drug Rehabilitation Centre PALM Coffs Harbour which has operated since October 2001;
  
  
• Drug Rehabilitation Centre PALM Dubbo which has operated since May 2002.

Both centres provide a three month intensive program to stop the drug and alcohol problems and criminal behaviour of young offenders.  Services provided include:

• Assessment
• Measures for assessing and matching client needs to service delivery
• Living skills components
• Group education and training
• Cultural adaptations to service delivery
• Developmentally appropriate adaptations to service delivery
• Extensive case management
• Individual counselling
• Family counselling where appropriate
• Referrals to external services as necessary
• Group work activities
• Outpatient programs
• Aftercare planning

The location of the centres means that young people from rural and regional areas no longer have to travel to Sydney to enter a rehabilitation program.  They can be closer to family, friends and their community during rehabilitation.

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