Community work orders for young people
If a young person pleads guilty or is found guilty of an offence, a court may order them to do community work.
This is called a community work order.
Types of community work
Community work is unpaid work that benefits the community and aims to repair the harm that has been caused.
Types of community work include:
- assisting charity stores or food banks
- helping in aged care or Aboriginal and youth community centres
- assisting with outdoor projects such as:
- removing graffiti
- collecting rubbish
- landscaping.
Businesses and organisations can nominate any work that may be suitable for a young person.
Read below to find out more if you are a business or organisation.
If a community work order is issued
The young person is responsible for their participation in a project and rehabilitation for a certain amount of hours.
The Youth Justice Court decides the type of community work and number of hours.
A community youth justice officer or youth outreach and re-engagement officer from Territory Families will:
- support the young person to comply with their order
- document their attendance.
Businesses and organisations
You can apply to have your project considered as community work if you are a Northern Territory (NT) business or organisation.
This includes:
- charities, not-for-profit organisations or community groups
- local government bodies
- institutions for the socially disadvantaged or people with a disability
- private enterprises or business owners.
Before you apply
Before you apply, you must be able to meet or demonstrate the following criteria:
- The work:
- will benefit the community
- is restorative in nature and/ or
- provides a meaningful pathway for the young person
- will not directly or indirectly provide any personal or financial benefit to Territory Families staff
- will not be demeaning or degrading
- A site supervisor will be present the entire time the young person is attending. The supervisor must:
- monitor the work performance of the young person and
- complete documentation such as attendance sheets and incident reports
- maintain a safe working environment under the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011
- Direct supervisors of young people must have a current Working with Children Clearance/ Ochre Card
- You must have current public liability insurance.
You must:
- present your Ochre Card to Territory Families on request
- supply a copy of your public liability insurance.
How to apply
To apply or for more information, contact your nearest Territory Families Youth Outreach and Re-engagement office.
Alice Springs
08 8951 5867
tf.youthoutreachalicesprings@nt.gov.au
Darwin
08 8946 5120
tf.youthoutreachdarwin@nt.gov.au
Nhulunbuy
08 8987 0464
tf.youthoutreachnhulunbuy@nt.gov.au
Katherine
Last updated: 14 May 2020
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