Adapting the Pathway to Good Health Program for Youth Detention in Victoria: Final Report

Young people in youth detention carry a disproportionate burden of unmet health need. Compared with their non-justice-involved peers, they experience higher rates of mental illness, neurodevelopmental disability, substance dependence, and chronic and infectious disease – needs that have often gone unidentified and unaddressed long before a young person encounters the criminal justice system. Detention thus represents a critical opportunity to identify and respond to these unmet health needs. However, the infrastructure to do so systematically does not currently exist in Victoria. Victoria’s Pathway to Good Health (PTGH) program was established to respond to these same complex health needs for children in statutory care. PTGH provides coordinated health screening, assessment, and referral to all children and young people aged 0–17 entering or re-entering statutory care statewide. Services are delivered by local community health services and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations across seventeen local government areas in Victoria. Unlike a standard referral service, the program is built around a dedicated health navigator role that gathers health histories, coordinates assessments, and maintains engagement over time. It has improved the timeliness and coordination of health responses for children in statutory care. Eligibility does not, however, extend to young people in detention – a setting that shares many of the same population characteristics and health needs. This report examines how the foundational elements of the PTGH model could be adapted for young people in detention in Victoria. It draws on rapid qualitative consultations with 24 stakeholders across PTGH service providers, youth detention health staff, and government and sector stakeholders, conducted between March and May 2026. This report does not constitute an evaluation of the PTGH program; any formal evaluation of the program would be a valuable complement to this work.