An innovative child protection program that helps transform the lives of children and young people by addressing their harmful sexual behaviours was formally launched by Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD). New Street is a community-based specialist treatment service for 10-17 year olds who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviours towards others. The establishment of the service in Queanbeyan is part of a $4 million state-wide expansion of the program. New Street in the SNSWLHD has five specialist clinicians on staff to deliver the family-based therapy service for children and young people to help them understand and stop the behaviour. 97% of children and young people who have completed the New Street program in NSW do not go on to re-harm.* SNSWLHD Chief Executive, Margaret Bennett, said the New Street program will service the Queanbeyan-Tablelands, Snowy-Monaro and South East NSW regions. “The New Street program was established by NSW Health more than 20 years ago to provide an evidence-based therapeutic service for children, young people and their families. We are pleased we are now able to offer this service to the Southern NSW Local Health District,” Ms Bennett said. “The NSW Government is committed to finding ways to help young people and the community, and these services provide sensitive, individual care focused on children’s sexual safety and ways to respond to harmful sexual behaviour by children and young people.” The investment is part of the NSW Government’s commitment of $127.2 million from 2018- 2023, in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. New Street services work together with the Department of Communities and Justice, NSW Police Force, Department of Education and the non-government sector to help children and young people in need. *Laing, L., D. Tolliday, N. Kelk & B. Law (2014) ‘Recidivism following community based
treatment for non-adjudicated young people with sexually abusive behaviors’ Sexual Abuse
in Australia and New Zealand 6(1).
