Kath French Secure Care

Named in memory of community advocate Kath French (1926–1994), the Centre was established in November 1999 when a new, purpose‑built facility was constructed on the Hillston site (formerly Padbury Boys’ Farm School) in Stoneville, Western Australia for vulnerable youth.

 

Its secure care centre was established in May 2011 at a cost of $7.36 million, with an initial capacity of nine beds for young people aged 12–18, who were experiencing immediate mental health or at risk.

 

Mission & Model

Kath French Secure Care Centre (KFSCC) serves as a therapeutic circuit‑breaker, providing short‑term, high‑intensity support (typically up to 42 days) for young people at imminent risk to themselves or others, often part of complex trauma, mental health and behavioural challenges.

 

During their stay, youths receive 24‑hour care from professionals including nurses, psychiatrists, educators and social workers.

 

Evolution & Challenges

Soon after opening, budget pressures forced a reduction from nine to six beds, along with reduced staffing—from 33 to 28 staff—leading critics to question sustainability and adequacy of the model. The Centre also faced concerns about admitting children younger than its mandate; in 2015. Media reported placements of children as young as eight in the facility meant for teens aged 12–18.

 

Incidents & Coroner’s Findings

In April 2017, a tragic case emerged. A young person (“Child RM”) who had experienced multiple admissions to KFSCC, died by suicide shortly after her final discharge. A 2020 coroner’s inquest into the death found that while the Department of Communities offered available care, systemic gaps remained. Recommendations included extending the maximum placement time beyond 42 days, fast‑tracking a “complex community care service” and urgently employing a cultural therapeutic specialist to enhance safety and cultural competence at the Centre.

 

Security Enhancements

Recognising operational risks, the Department of Communities tendered a CCTV upgrade in 2021. They later awarded a $139,000 contract to BJ Systems to improve on‑site surveillance and monitoring infrastructure. This upgrade was intended to bolster overall security, safety monitoring and staff support.

 

Evaluation & Review

Quantum Consulting Australia was commissioned to evaluate KFSCC’s service model, building on a full evaluation published for the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability in 2019. That review affirmed the Centre’s value in stabilising young people, while urging continued enhancements in cultural safety and care transitions. The Royal Commission compared KFSCC to a similar Northern Territory facility, reinforcing its role as a short‑term stabilisation model.

 

Successes & Positive Impact

Despite its limitations, the Kath French Secure Care Centre has been recognised as offering specialised therapeutic intervention to some of WA’s most vulnerable youth. Graduates of the program have often left with better clarity, improved access to follow‑up support and reduced acute risks, especially when embedded within a strong multi‑agency approach. Its very existence signals government commitment to a tailored, trauma‑informed model versus conventional detention.

 

Ongoing Issues & System Pressures

By 2022, broader system strains in child protection, reporting over‑stretched workers and unassigned case, impacted operations at KFSCC. Child protection staff said backup plans had to be put in place because there weren’t enough workers, showing the facility was under pressure. These pressures potentially affected intake, follow‑up care and staff morale.

 

Vision & Future Directions

Key areas for future improvement include:

• Extending secure care time limit, perhaps beyond the statutorily capped 42 day, to allow more flexible therapeutic engagement as recommended by the coroner.

• ‑tracking the Department’s proposed complex community care service, originally anticipated by late 2023 but delayed, to ensure better transitions once young people leave KFSCC.

• Embedding culturally‑safe specialist roles, particularly to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, an urgent coroner‑led recommendation.

• Monitoring and scaling staffing models to ensure sufficient ratios and capacity, especially in the face of wider child protection workforce shortages.

 

Summary

Since opening in 2011, the Kath French Secure Care Centre has offered a critical intervention—a short‑term, therapeutic environment for highly vulnerable youth in crisis. While it has achieved meaningful stabilization work and highlighted the need for trauma‑informed care, it has also faced serious challenges, from capacity cuts and age‑misplaced admissions to tragic incidents and systemic staffing strains.

 

Its future success hinges on implementing coroner and Royal Commission recommendations. As Western Australia continues evolving its centre-based and community support models, Kath French Centre stands as a challenge and a beacon, reminding us that vulnerable youth deserve not just containment but caring, culturally‑aware, and continuous pathways to safety and wellbeing.