Australia's youth justice system incarcerates young people at rates well above comparable countries — with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people massively overrepresented. Youth incarceration is expensive, traumatic, and counterproductive — increasing rather than reducing the likelihood of future offending. Grant funding supports the programmes, services, and systemic change that keep young people out of detention and on better trajectories.
The problem
Who is most affected
The cycle
The school-to-prison pipeline is real:
- School exclusion and disengagement
- Unsupervised time, influence of peer groups
- Police contact (often for minor offending)
- Bail conditions difficult to meet → remand
- Custodial record increasing future offending risk
- Adult justice system
State and territory governments
Youth justice is primarily a state and territory responsibility:
- Youth detention facilities
- Community-based orders
- Bail support services
- Youth justice conferencing (restorative justice approach)
- Post-release support
Commonwealth
Commonwealth involvement through:
- NIAA youth justice investment for Indigenous youth
- Some Federal funding for diversion programmes
- Youth Employment and training pathways
Paul Ramsay Foundation
Significant youth justice investment — particularly First Nations youth.
The Minderoo Foundation
Youth justice reform — particularly First Nations and early intervention.
Ian Potter Foundation
Some youth justice and diversion investment.
State community foundations
Community foundations fund local youth diversion and support programmes.
Philanthropic consortia
Youth justice reform has attracted coordinated philanthropic investment in some states.
Youth Action & Policy Association (YAPA)
NSW peak body for youth services — advocacy and some grant-related work.
Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ)
RMIT-based research and practice centre for youth justice reform.
Community of Youth Services (QLD)
QLD peak youth services body.
Koorie Youth Council
Victorian Indigenous youth justice advocacy.
National Youth Commission Australia
Policy advocacy for youth justice reform.
Youth diversion
Keeping young people out of the formal justice system:
- Police diversion to programmes (before charge)
- Youth justice conferencing (after charge but before court)
- Court diversion to services
- Diversionary programmes (sport, arts, employment)
Bail support
Young people on remand (awaiting trial) often cannot meet bail conditions:
- Bail support services (curfew monitoring, attendance support)
- Supervised accommodation for young people on bail
- Support workers accompanying to court
- Bail conditions navigation
Mentoring
Education and employment
Mental health and AOD
Family support
Post-release support
First Nations youth justice
FASD is a significant issue in youth justice — often undiagnosed:
- Many young people in youth justice have FASD
- FASD affects impulse control, memory, and social understanding — factors in offending
- FASD-informed approaches in youth justice are dramatically underdeveloped
- Diversion and support designed for FASD can change outcomes
Evidence-based approaches
Youth diversion has strong evidence — youth conferencing, mentoring, cognitive behaviour therapy, vocational training. Reference the evidence and show how your programme implements evidence-based elements.
Cost comparison
Youth detention costs $150,000-$300,000 per young person per year. Community-based programmes cost a fraction of this. Make the economic argument — prevention saves money, not just suffering.
Indigenous self-determination
Indigenous youth justice programmes must be community-controlled. External organisations working with Indigenous youth without genuine community governance and cultural authority will not be funded by sophisticated funders.
Lived experience
People with lived experience of the youth justice system — including adults who have been through it — are valuable voices in programme design. Show lived experience leadership.
Systems change alongside direct service
Grant applications that connect direct service to systems advocacy — changing policies, practices, and structures that criminalise young people — are more compelling than pure service delivery.
Tahua's grants management platform supports youth justice funders and diversion organisations — with participant outcome tracking, justice system contact measurement, community reach data, and the reporting tools that help youth justice funders demonstrate their investment in diverting young Australians from the justice system toward better futures.