Social Work Now, Issue 33, pages 12-15.
The treatment of antisocial behaviour in adolescents is a matter for debate in this country. Many of the methods used historically, such as residential care, in general appear to be unsuccessful and have not helped the steady increase in numbers needing treatment. A paradigm shift away from the benefits of residential care and institutionalising is evident with the emergence of more family/communitybased models of treatment.
Māori and Pacific youth are over-represented statistically in this group of young people, which raises questions for treatment. Is this statistic reflected in the type of programmes available and is this client group being catered for culturally? Where do they go and what happens when they get there?
New Zealand studies of treatment options currently available and their effectiveness are rare. Young people are dealt with by a large number of sectors and organisations, often with a lack of a coordinated approach.
Although this review looked mainly at youth in the youth justice system, there was also spillover into youth that were being treated for antisocial behaviour through mental health, alternative education, drug and alcohol, and youth development services. It aimed to discover what was currently available as treatment options in terms of services to Māori from iwi based social services, and to uncover treatment options provided by other non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Little was known about the effectiveness of available treatments, and what research there was tended to focus on short-term results rather than the maintenance of long-term outcomes.