Arclight, launched in Kwinana in April, aims to keep boys in school and out of prison, funded by the Department of Communities ($375,000) and WA Police ($250,000).
City of Kwinana also advocated heavily for leading not-for-profit Outcare WA to deliver a version of the Arclight program to girls in Kwinana in direct response to community-identified needs. Outcare WA’s delivery also began in April, funded by Telethon and the Department of Social Services, with no direct cost to the City.
City of Kwinana’s Arclight Coordinator Jamie Barr said Arclight was based on an award-winning program known as the Youth Intervention Partnership, by Save the Children, and he had previously run the model out of Armadale.
City of Kwinana spearheaded Arclight here last year in response to a high level of criminal and anti-social behaviour by young people aged 12 to 14 years in 2024, costing the community several million dollars.
Mr Barr said the program was put together at no cost to ratepayers, with the 2024 pilot fully funded by Curtin University’s Safer Communities Grant Fund 6.
“The City recognises that traditional punitive measures such as the ‘tough on crime’ approach is not a deterrent, and results in 60 to 70 per cent of young people back in detention within a year,” Mr Barr said.
“Arclight delivers an alternative model that addresses the root cause of the disengagement, creating an individual plan for each participant that also ensures family commitment,” he said.
Key to the program is partnership – between Gilmore College, WA Police, the Department of Communities, the Department of Education, among others.
City of Kwinana Mayor Peter Feasey said the cost of not engaging with young people in this way was huge for the community.
“According to the Office of The Inspector of Custodial Services, it costs $1.1 million per year to detain a convicted young person in Banksia Hill, so the Arclight program has more than paid for itself just to deter one young person from incarceration,” Mayor Feasey said.
“The Arclight initiative leads with intensive, relationship focused, multi-faceted strategy over the course of 12 months, and partners with a dedicated psychologist and neuroscientist to scientifically measure the impact of collective effort,” he said.
WA Police reported a significant reduction in offending by participants during the Arclight period of engagement, following the delivery of 43 life skills workshops, 59 sport and fitness sessions, 37 immersive skill-based excursions, and 168 hours of specialist education.
School suspensions also fell 94 per cent, while school attendance and attainment improved from 24 per cent to an average of 74 per cent for the duration of the Arclight pilot.
Safer Communities Program principal investigator Professor Rosanna Rooney, also from the Curtin School of Population Health, said the research showed the intensive approach taken by Arclight was the best way to intervene in the prevention and reduction of crime in youth at high risk of crime.
“It is not surprising that the Arclight program has had such positive results and such a positive immediate impact on the youth in Kwinana,” Professor Rooney said.
“Many saw Arclight as a safe and supportive alternative to traditional school, with excursions, small class sizes and strong relationships with staff playing a key role in their engagement.
“Young people also described significant personal growth, including better anger management, greater confidence, and improved social skills,” she said.
Mayor Feasey welcomed the funding support from WA Police and Department of Communities and said it was exciting for the City to now work with Outcare WA to develop Arclight for girls.
“This is an incredible program yielding results that transform the lives of young people, their families and our community at large,” Mayor Feasey said.
“Our residents, in last year’s community and wellbeing scorecard, said the City should make community safety a priority.
“Arclight is a great example of meeting an identified need with an effective solution and we look forward to more positive results in years to come,” he said.
For more, visit the Arclight initiative.