NCJ Number
83465
Date Published
1981
Length
147 pages
Annotation
Papers from an Australian seminar on child welfare in the 1980's discuss aspects of child welfare law in Australia, a pending bill on juvenile processing, evidentiary and procedural problems in child neglect complaints, and new initiatives in the treatment of delinquents.
Abstract
The discussion of selected aspects of Australian child welfare laws focuses on age limits of criminal responsibility, court diversion of juveniles, and special police juvenile units. In four jurisdictions, the upper limit of the children's court jurisdiction is 17, and in four it is 18. In South and Western Australia, juveniles can be diverted from juvenile court to Children's Aid Panels, a panel consisting of a police officer and a member of the Department for Community Welfare which converses informally with a child and his/her parents about the handling of the child's misbehavior. The Community Welfare Bill 1981 is compared to present law and principles deemed suitable for the 1980's in the areas of juvenile offenders, status offenders, and children's rights and autonomy. The description of new initiatives in the treatment of delinquents in New South Wales focuses on treatment programs, the regionalization of the Department of Youth and Community Services, and the Community Welfare Bill now before the State Parliament. Two commentaries and discussions from the seminar are also provided. For individual selections, see NCJ 83465-68.