Community Services Directorate - Bimberi

In August 2019, a number of young persons at the Bimberi Youth Detention Centre gained access to a staff workstation. Consequently, a number of staff were assaulted, and a set of keys were obtained, allowing access to the roof top of the centre.

It is alleged by WorkSafe ACT that, the ACT Government Community Services Directorate (the Directorate) trading as Bimberi Youth Justice Centre, had a health and safety duty within the meaning of section 30(a) of the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act, specifically the primary duty of care by section 19 of the WHS Act, and it failed to comply with that duty.

The regulator considered a proposal for a work health and safety enforceable undertaking from the Directorate. The proposal met the regulator’s general guidelines for the acceptance of WHS undertakings under the Act and was consistent with WorkSafe ACT’s published guidance material for enforceable undertakings.

The proposal was accepted and became an enforceable undertaking in May 2021.

The undertaking will deliver safety benefits to workers, the industry and the community with the total financial commitment of $1.8 million and total costs of all strategies including rectification works is $4.793 million.

The undertaking requires the Community Service Directorate to:

• Build staff capacity through recruitment, training and professional development
• Continue infrastructure improvements at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre
• Improve WHS Management Systems at the centre with a dedicated WHS Officer and two additional control room officers
• Deliver a presentation and paper at the Australasian Youth Justice Administrators interjurisdictional forum
• Therapeutic Specialist Services with a principal policy officer for two years to undertake policy and service design work to enable therapeutic specialist services to be embedded across the youth just service system