Leading For Change: Barriers to Implementing Evidence Based Reform in Youth Justice, and the Critical Role of Leadership
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52935/25.22120.11Keywords:
Leadership, Reform, Root Cause Analysis, Safety and Quality, Quality AssuranceAbstract
A series of reviews and inquiries into the quality of youth justice services have drawn attention to the need for substantial reform. And yet, there is little evidence to suggest that progress is being made towards implementing change. In this paper we review recommendations made to Australian youth justice agencies, identifying common themes and those recommendations that are most likely to result in reform. We apply learnings from quality assurance and clinical governance in healthcare to identify some ways forward for the sector, as well as acknowledging some of the specific barriers to change that arise in justice sector reform.
References
Anthony, T., Jordan, K., Walsh, T., Markham, F., & Williams, M. (2021). 30 years on: Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody recommendations remain unimplemented. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research. Australian National University.
Australian Human Rights Commission (2024). Help Way Earlier! How Australia Can Transform Child Justice to Improve Safety and Wellbeing. Sydney: Australian Human Rights Commission.
Boyd, C., Mercer, G., Malvaso, C. G., Day, A., & Pilkington, R. (2025). Moving towards trauma-informed youth justice case management: A policy audit and survey of staff perspectives in an Australian jurisdiction. Children Australia, 47(2), 3062
Butcher, L., Day, A., Malvaso, C., Galouzis, J & Hinchcliff, R (2025). A National Approach to Safety and Quality in Australian Youth Justice: Lessons from Healthcare. Australian Journal of Social Issues. http://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.70079
Butcher, L., Day, A., Kidd, G., Miles, D., & Stanton, S. (2021). Developing youth justice policy and programme design in Australia. Australian Journal of Public Administration. https://doi:10.1111/1467-8500.12524
Butcher, L. Day, A., Malvaso, C. G., & Fernandez, M. (2024). An exploration of two different models of leadership for youth justice reform. Journal of Applied Juvenile Justice Services, 38.
Case, S., & Hazel, N. (2023). Child First Developing a New Youth Justice System. Springer
Clancey, G., Wang, S., & Lin, B. (2020) Youth justice in Australia: Themes from recent inquiries/ Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 605, 1-19
Clancey, G., & Metcalfe, L. (2022). Inspections, Reviews, Inquiries and Recommendations Pertaining to Youth Justice Centres in New South Wales Between 2015 and 2021. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 34(3), 255-274
Cognitive Institute (2025). Speaking Up for Safety. Retrieved from https://www.cognitiveinstitute.org/sufs-resources/
Day, A., Malvaso, C., Boyd, C., Hawkins, K., & Pilkington, R. (2023). The effectiveness of trauma-informed youth justice: A discussion and review. Frontiers in Psychology, 14:1157695. https://doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1157695
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (2018). Review of the implementation of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody. https://www.niaa.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/publications/rciadic-review-report.pdf
Desmarais, F. (2023). Scathing report on corrections say prisoners “collateral damage”. One News. Retrieved from https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/492784/corrections-needs-to-urgently- x-culture-and-leadership-chief-ombudsman-says-in-new-report
Goldfinch, S., & Halligan, J. (2024). Reform, hybridization and revival: the status of new public management in Australia and New Zealand. Public Management Review, 26(9), 2542-2560
Haynes, P. (2003). Managing complexity in the public services. Taylor and Frances.
Haines, K., & Case, S. (2019). The future of youth justice. Youth Justice, 18(2), 131-148
Heifetz, R., Linksy, M., & Grashow, A. (2009). The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World. Harvard Business Press.
Hibbert, P., Thomas, M., Deakin, A., Runciman, W., Braithwaite, H., Lomax, S., Prescott, J., Gorrie, G., Szdzygielski, A., Surwald, T., & Fraser, C. (2018) Are root cause analyses recommendations effective and sustainable? An observational study, International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 30(2), 124-131
Hughes, H. (2023). Public inquiries, patient safety and the implementation gap. Future Healthcare Journal, 10, 7–9.
Incident Analysis Collaborating Parties (2012). Canadian Incident Analysis Framework. Edmonton, AB: Canadian Patient Safety Institute.
Institute of Healthcare Improvement (2019). Patient Safety Essentials Toolkit: Action Heriarchy (Part of RCA2). Retrieved from https://www.ihi.org/sites/default/files/SafetyToolkit_ActionHierarchy.pdf
Law Society of Australia. (2019). NT Governments ‘unacceptable’ Don Dale backflip fails young people and community. Retrieved from https://lawcouncil.au/publicassets/21e6f434-694f-e911-93fc-005056be13b5/1924%20--%20NT%20Government%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98unacceptable%E2%80%99%20Don%20Dale%20backflip%20fails%20young%20people%20and%20community.pdf
Lapuente, V., & de Walle, S. (2020). The effects of new public management on the quality of public services. Governance, 33(3), 461-475
Maguire, M., & Delahunt, B. (2017). Doing a thematic analysis: A practical, step-by-step guide for learning and teaching scholars. All Ireland Journal of Higher Education, 9(3). https://doi:10.62707/aishej.v9i3.335
Murray, J., Clifford, J., Scott, D., Kelly, S., & Hanover, C. (2024). Leader rounding for high reliability and improved patient safety. Federal Practitioner, 41(1), 16-24
NATSILS (2024). Submission to the Senate Inquiry into Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system. No. 202, pp. 7–8. Retrieved from https://www.aph.gov.au/_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/Incarceration47/Interim_Report
Parosanu, A., Seaford, A., Wehipeihana, N., & Mihiniui-Selwyn, A. (2025). Wakamana Tangata: An evaluation of a restorative Te Ao Maori based approach to youth justice. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 37(2).
Peerally, M., Carr, S., Waring, J., & Dixon-Woods, M. (2017). The problem with root cause analysis. BMJ Quality and Safety, 26, 417-422
Queensland Health (2024). Ryan’s Rule. Retrieved from https://www.qld.gov.au/health/support/shared-decision-making/ryans-rule
Ressong-Wildschut, J., & Oldenhof, L., & Leistikow, I. (2023). Can leadership make the difference? A scoping review of leadership and its effects in child and youth care. Children and Youth Services Review, https://doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107017
Rittel, H., & Webber, M. (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2), 155–169.
Safer Care Victoria (2021). Clinical incident investigations - root cause analysis. Retrieved from https://www.health.vic.gov.au/quality-safety-service/clinical-incident-investigations-root-cause-analysis
Senate Inquiry (2025). Australia’s Youth Justice and Incarceration System. Retrieved from https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/Incarceration47
Stanley, E., Gibson, Z., & Craddock, I. (2024). Performing ignorance of State violence in Aotearoa New Zealand. Journal of Criminology, 57(4), 425-444. https://doi.org/10.1177/26338076241252184.
Stevens, E., & Gahan, L. (2024). Improving the Safety and Wellbeing of Vulnerable Children. Australian Institute of Family Studies.
Spurgeon, P., Long, P., Clark, J.& Daly, F. (2015). Do we need medical leadership or medical engagement? Leadership Health Services, 28(3), 173-184.
Tamatea, A. J., Day, A. J., & Cooke, D. J. (2023). Preventing Prison Violence: An Ecological Perspective. Routledge.
Timor-Shelvin, S., & Benjamin, O. (2020). The tension between managerial and critical professional discourses in social work. Journal of Social Work, 21(4), 951-969.
Travaglia, J.F., Lloyd, J. E., & Braithwaite, J. (2008). Another inquiry into public hospitals? MJA, 188, 437-438.
US Department of Veteran’s Affairs (2016). Root Cause Analysis Tools. Retrieved from https://www.patientsafety.va.gov/docs/joe/2014%20RCA%20Tools%20FINAL%20Formatted%20REV10%202016.pdf
Westerlund, A., Sundberg, L., & Nilsen, P. (2019). Implementation of implementation science knowledge: The research-practice gap paradox. Worldviews Evidence Based Nursing, 16, 332-334. https://doi:10.1111/wvn.12403
Wood, L., & Weigman, D. (2020) Beyond the corrective action hierarchy: A systems approach to organizational change. International Journal Quality in Health Care, 32(7), 438-444
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Applied Juvenile Justice Services
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
