|
 |
|
Introduction
|
YRIPP Aims
|
YRIPP Objectives
|
Volunteering at YRIPP
|
YRIPP Contact Details
|
YRIPP Sites
|
YRIPP Expansion
|
YRIPP Awards
|
|
|
Introduction
|
The Youth Referral and Independent Person Program (YRIPP) is funded by the State Government and represents a partnership program of the Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI), the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria and other agencies.
The law requires that an adult be present during formal police questioning of a young person under 18 years of age. When a parent or guardian is unavailable, an adult ‘Independent Person’ is required to be in attendance.
The establishment of a coordinated Independent Person system of support provided to young people in police custody offers a significant opportunity to address the over-representation of young people in the justice system, including those from newly arrived and refugee communities.
|
back to top
|
YRIPP Aims
|
YRIPP aims to:
|
- Work with and improve the existing system of Independent Person support provided to young people in police custody; and
|
- Divert young people, primarily refugee and newly arrived young people, from progression to higher levels of the criminal justice system, based on culturally appropriate early intervention and diversion support efforts.
|
|
back to top
|
YRIPP Objectives
|
The YRIPP objectives are to:
|
- provide trained, including culturally trained, volunteer Independent Persons to attend formal police interviews of young people under 18 years of age;
|
- strengthen existing Independent Person networks in local areas / establish new ones if required;
|
- establish the infrastructure for simple and reliable centralised allocation of Independent Persons to attend police stations for such interviews;
|
- expand telephone legal advice services to ensure the availability of free 24 hour, 7 day a week telephone legal advice for young people being interviewed by police;
|
- provide multilingual information for parents/guardians supporting their child in police custody about their rights, police and legal processes, the role of an Independent Person and the availability of the Youth Referral and Independent Person Program;
|
- establish a referral system for at-risk young people to health and welfare services;
|
- establish or consolidate a local youth justice network in each of the program areas to serve as a local reference group for the project and to generate opportunities for the development of strategic partnerships between police, youth, ethnic communities and welfare services and the broader community to address and reduce offending by young people through culturally appropriate diversionary means; and
|
- develop an evidence base for “what works" in dealing with young people at the point of contact with police and the legal system and reducing their progression to higher levels of the justice system.
|
|
back to top
|
Volunteering at YRIPP
|
 |
Potential volunteers need to fill out an Expression of Interest Form, have an interview and attend an information session.
We actively encourage people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds to apply who have enough English language skills to meet the requirements of the training program and to work as an IP.
YRIPP is required by law to perform a police check on all applicants; however, having a record does not automatically exclude you from volunteering with us. Applicants will also be required to undergo a Working With Children Check.
Volunteers are expected to commit for a 12 month period with the program, on a weekly roster. Callouts to police station vary in frequency from area to area and the day of week.
|
 Download upcoming training dates (Frankston and south eastern metropolitan area), August 2008 (140kb)
|
Download upcoming training dates (Ararat and western Victoria), August-September 2008 (128kb)
|
Download upcoming training dates (Melbourne metropolitan area), September-October 2008 (152kb)
|
Download upcoming training dates (Melton and western metropolitan area), October 2008 (96kb)
|
 Download a Program Description and an Expression of Interest Form (218kb)
|
To submit an application online please fill in the Volunteer Application Form. Existing YRIPP volunteers can login through the Volunteer Information Centre.
|
back to top
|
YRIPP Contact Details
|
All initial enquiries should be directed to:
|
| Francesca Pagani
YRIPP Administrative Officer
C/o Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues
304 Drummond Street
Carlton 3053
| Tel: (03) 9340 3777 | Fax: (03) 9349 3766 | Email: admin@yripp.org.au
|
| | Sally Reid
YRIPP Program Manager
C/o Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (As Above)
| Tel: (03) 9340 3777 | Fax: (03) 9349 3766 | Email: manager@yripp.org.au
| Anthony Kelly
YRIPP Training Coordinator
C/o Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (As Above)
| Tel: (03) 9340 3777 | Fax: (03) 9349 3766 | Email: training@yripp.org.au
|
| Metropolitan Regional Coordinators
|
| East
| Vivianne Gloz
C/o Eastern Community Legal Centre
Suite 3 Town Hall Hub, 27 Bank Street
Box Hill 3128
| Tel: (03) 9285 4822 | Fax: (03) 9285 4833 | Email: east@yripp.org.au
| Inner City
| Rebecca March
C/o Youthlaw
Frontyard, 19 King Street
Melbourne 3000
| Tel: (03) 9611 2412 | Fax: (03) 9620 3622 | Email: innercity@yripp.org.au
| North
| Tania Ewin
C/o Broadmeadows Community Legal Service
180 Widford Street,
Broadmeadows 3047
| Tel: (03) 9302 3911 | Fax: (03) 9309 6538 | Email: north@yripp.org.au
| South East
| Rae Christeson
C/o Casey Cardinia Community Legal Service
42 Claredale Road
Dandenong 3175
| Tel: (03) 9793 1993 | Fax: (03) 9794 9521 | Email: southeast@yripp.org.au
| West
| Michelle Chumbley
C/o Footscray Community Legal Centre
220 Nicholson Street
Footscray 3011
| Tel: (03) 9689 8444 | Fax: (03) 9689 8155 | Email: west@yripp.org.au
|
| Rural Regional Coordinators
|
| Northern Victoria
| Paul Teusner
C/o Cutting Edge UnitingCare
PO Box 1697
Shepparton 3632
| Tel: (03) 5872 2815 / (03) 5831 6157 | Fax: (03) 5822 1778 | Email: northvic@yripp.org.au
| Western Victoria
| Sonia Pacey
C/o UnitingCare Ballarat
105 Dana Street
Ballarat 3350
| Tel: (03) 5332 1286 | Fax: (03) 5332 1055 | Email: westvic@yripp.org.au
| Eastern Victoria
| TBA
|
|
|
|
back to top
|
YRIPP Sites
|
YRIPP has been operational in police stations since September 2004. The program began in the following Local Government Areas and police stations:
|
- Hume (Broadmeadows, Sunbury and Craigieburn Police Stations);
|
- Darebin (Reservoir, Northcote, East Preston and Preston Police Stations);
|
- Maribyrnong / Brimbank (Footscray, Sunshine, Keilor Downs and Flemington Police Stations);
|
- Greater Dandenong / Casey (Dandenong, Springvale, Endeavour Hills, Cranbourne, Narre Warren and Pakenham Police Stations);
|
- Greater Shepparton (Shepparton Police Station).
|
|
YRIPP is expanding to 103 Police Stations across Victoria over the next 2 years. For the full Station Listing please see below.
|
back to top
|
YRIPP Expansion
|
This expansion will be staggered according to region; however by the end of 2009 YRIPP will cover the following Police stations:
|
| Police stations within 30 minutes of your home
|
|
|
South Eastern Metropolitan
|
| | | | | | | | | |
|
|
|
|
|
back to top
|
YRIPP Awards
|
YRIPP won the Government's Community Safety and Crime Prevention Award for Enhancing Safety in Indigenous and Diverse Communities (2004).
|
back to top
|
