This report presents findings of a developmental evaluation of 9 Indigenous Advancement Strategy-funded adult and youth through-care programs, developed in 2017. Through-care programs provide continuity of care for clients, prior to release and following their time spent in prison or detention, with the common element across all through-care models being individualised case management. 

The Adult Through Care (ATC) and Youth Through Care (YTC) models aim to provide a holistic, culturally-informed and trauma-informed, intensive case management approach specific to incarcerated Indigenous people. The services are intended to be delivered to eligible clients on a voluntary basis six months prior to their release from prison or detention, when release plans addressing individual risks, needs and goals are prepared. Post-release, case workers intensively support clients to implement their plans and monitor progress.

Using a mixed‑methods approach, the evaluation assessed model implementation, impacts on client outcomes, identified areas for improvement and developed six recommendations to address key issues.

The report makes 6 recommendations for the ATC and YTC programs. 

Key findings

• The characteristics of through-care service delivery, as implemented by through-care service providers, departs from the ATC and YTC models to varying degrees.
• Service providers felt, overall, that their clients benefited from the strength of the services’ relationship with external service providers, and that these relationships were important for case workers to effectively coordinate services holistically.
• According to service providers and external agencies, service providers are, overall, delivering the core model elements of through-care effectively, but continue to experience a range of environmental, organisational and operational challenges that hinder improvement.
• Managers from all service providers across ATC and YTC programs, stated that their services were under-resourced and that additional funding was needed to meet client needs.
• As part of the evaluation, several opportunities to improve practice were identified in feedback from stakeholders.
• It was acknowledged that examples of clients successfully exiting the program with long term outcomes such as employment, secure housing, reunified relationships and no re-offending, were limited.