A day in the life of a detention youth worker

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At work I wear my uniform, which includes:

• a special vest to attach my body worn camera and radio to
• a belt to secure my keys to
• enclosed shoes.

A day in the life

Today I am working a day shift at the youth detention centre. I will be in a unit with some of the older boys.

When I arrive for my 12-hour shift, I put my work bag on the conveyor belt to be screened and walk through the scanner. My work bag is department-issued and made of clear plastic.

It’s important that I don’t take items to work that are restricted or prohibited in the centre. This includes things like:

• mobile phones and smart watches
• metal cutlery
• tinned food
• glass
• chewing gum
• cigarettes.

I wait to be let through the first internal door into the centre. I sign in and collect my security keys, radio and body worn camera. After I put them on, I can go through the final door to go inside the youth detention centre.

Morning briefing

I start my work day in a briefing to learn what is happening in the centre.

I find out things like:

• if there are new young people in the unit
• if any young people in the unit need extra support
• updates to the daily routine and schedule
• changes to policies or the operations manual.

The start of the day with young people

After the briefing, I store my bag in the accommodation unit’s secure staff area. I greet other detention youth workers who are working this shift with me.

Our section supervisor is there too. She oversees what happens in the unit. She also helps to develop and coordinate the plans for young people. I really enjoy being part of this team—she is a good supervisor and mentor.

Next, I go into the young people’s area of the unit and help them:

• have breakfast
• do their chores
• get ready for school.

When it’s our turn, we leave the unit to walk the young people to the school precinct. The structured day coordinator tells us when it’s our turn. This is what we do every time we walk the young people to and from a different area of the youth detention centre.

During the school day

While the young people in my unit are in class, I am there too. It’s part of our role to encourage young people to re-engage with their education. I appreciate the way the teachers:

• assess where the young people are at
• help them work from there to fill in the gaps.

Some young people need a lot of help.

The young people take breaks between classes. When their break starts, the other detention youth workers and I walk them back to the units. The young people go into their rooms and we secure the doors. This is so they can go to the bathroom in privacy and know that no one else can come in.

During breaks I make sure the young people have something to eat and drink. When the kitchen delivers lunch, I sit at a table with the young people and eat with them. Some of the young people aren’t used to eating meals together—like a family would. Doing this helps them learn and use proper table manners.

After we finish eating, I supervise the young people while they tidy up the common area of the unit. This is one of their chores.

After school

Young people do other programs or activities after school. We take the young people to any programs or activities held outside of the unit. Sometimes staff run the activities. Other times people come into the centre to work with the young people.

When a young person has a visit with their family or lawyer, I walk them to the visits area. After the visit, I walk them back to their unit.

A young person may also have an appointment with the nurse or a doctor or specialist. When they have a medical appointment, we walk them to and from the onsite health centre. The health centre is run by Queensland Health.

Before dinner the young people have time to shower. They can also do things like:

• make phone calls (from their approved contact list)
• listen to music
• play table tennis
• read.

When the kitchen delivers dinner, I sit at a table with the young people again to eat with them. Then I supervise chores.

End of shift

The next team of detention youth workers comes to do a handover before the end of my shift. I need to make sure I have:

• written up any incidents that have happened during the day
• completed any other forms and reports that are my responsibility.

I collect my bag and head back to the centre’s main entrance.

Before I leave the centre I return my keys, radio and body worn camera to their secure storage areas. I put my work bag on the conveyor belt to be screened and walk through the scanner. As I walk out to my car in the carpark, I try to set aside what has happened during the day. This means I can enjoy a relaxed night with my family.

Keeping young people, staff and the centre safe

Youth detention centres are complex environments. Some young people we look after might have disabilities such as ADHD, learning delays or ASD. If they do, we need to learn how to work with them so we can help them. Some young people have come to us after living on the streets. Some young people can have challenging behaviours that might include:

• being argumentative
• being physically aggressive to others
• trying to damage property
• trying to hurt themselves.

Sometimes it’s necessary for us to take action and respond to those behaviours.

When I started as a recruit, I did 6 weeks of induction training that included a special focus on:

• the laws that apply to young people being in youth detention centres
• the department’s policies and procedures
• better ways to communicate with the young people
• de-escalation techniques to help young people move from inappropriate to appropriate behaviours
• approved physical responses that are safer for young people and staff if needed
• emergency procedures.

I had to pass assessments in these practice areas before I could start working shifts as a detention youth worker.

All detention youth workers do refresher training and assessments on these practice areas every year.

Comparison with a community youth worker

There are some things I do in my job that a community youth worker doesn’t. For example, detention youth workers:

• help young people deal with things that a parent or carer in the community would usually help with
• stay constantly aware of what is happening around them
• record and count things that could be considered dangerous items
• wear security keys, a radio and a body worn camera that can record incidents that might happen
• take action to help keep young people, staff and visitors to the centre safe, if required
• stay fit and active because they do a lot of walking and sometimes running
• do regular observations of young people and respond to self-harming or suicidal behaviour.

In this job, it’s all about:

• keeping young people, staff and visitors safe in a protective environment
• being part of a team that helps young people to make positive changes in their lives.

More information

Find out more about:

• youth detention in Queensland
• becoming a detention youth worker.