Speak Out October 2018

Association news

SPA National President Gaenor Dixon (at right) SPA Chief Executive Officer Gail Mulcair (left) Spa National Advisor Justice and Mental Health Mary Woodward (second left) with representatives from a range of services.

Speech Pathology Australia and NSW Juvenile Justice video launched

THE LAUNCH OF the Speech Pathology Association’s new youth justice video, Communication: Unlocking the potential of young people in custody , provided a tremendous opportunity to continue to raise awareness of the communication needs of young people who come into contact with the justice system, and to discuss ways in which agencies might work together to better meet these needs. Attending the formal launch at the Department of Justice in Sydney earlier this month were representatives from a range of services, including the Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network, the NSW Ombudsman’s Office, the Intellectual Disability Rights Service, the NSW Council for Intellectual Disability, NSW Corrective Services, the School of Indigenous Health at University of Technology, Sydney, as well as NSW Juvenile Justice and Speech Pathology Australia. Speech Pathology Australia National President Gaenor Dixon, opened the event, and Mary Woodward, the Association’s National Advisor, Justice and Mental Health, provided context for the video. The video was made after a clinical trial that took place in 2014 at the Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre in NSW, where in which young men with severe communication disorders were offered the opportunity to receive speech pathology intervention to improve their communication skills. The video was filmed in 2017 and tells the story of DJ*, while

demonstrating the impact that speech pathology had on this young man’s ability to engage in schooling and counselling, and the longer-term impact on the opportunities he now has for a brighter future. Professor Pamela Snow, Head of La Trobe Rural Health School, whose research involved the 2014 clinical trial, provided those in attendance at the launch with an overview of what is currently known about the language and literacy needs of disadvantaged young people. Alastair McEwin, Australia’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner, formally launched the video; and Mike Wheaton, Acting Director of Policy and Practice, NSW Juvenile Justice, provided a few words about the importance of professional collaboration in the prevention and rehabilitation of young people’s difficulties. The formal launch of the video was followed by a panel discussion chaired by the Association’s Chief Executive Officer, Gail Mulcair. Since the launch, the video has been very well-received and has generated a lot of positive discussion about the issues raised. The video has since been posted on social media, gaining traction as it is shared among the speech pathology profession and other audiences in Australia and overseas. The video may be viewed on the Association’s YouTube channel: www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/youthjustice *DJ is a pseudonym.

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October 2018 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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