VPRS 17998 Trainee Information Files

Full description

This series consists of Trainee Information Files (known as TIFS); case files which were created for almost all trainees at Winlaton Youth Training Centre (VA 5093) and Nunawading Youth Residential Centre (VA 5214). The exception to this was the youths who were on remand at the Winbirra section. It was not until 1990, that TIFS were created for youth on remand.

The TIFS were created by admitting office staff as trainees entered the centre. They were sent with the trainees to their residential section, under the control of the section's youth officers (YACCOS). As it was usual for trainees to reside at several sections during their stay at Winlaton (i.e. the assessment section, a longer term section and then the presentence section) the TIFS followed them from place to place. When a trainee was released from the centre their file was put away in alphabetical order by surname in a central compactus at the centre. If the person was readmitted to the centre their file was retrieved and used to document their subsequent stay.

The TIFS were used by youth officers to monitor and record the day to day behaviour, moods and actions of each trainee. Additionally they provided the youth officers with the background information about each trainee to assist the staff in dealing with the trainees.

Each TIF could contain the following documents about a particular trainee:

- a copy of the admission form
- Stores Issued Voucher (s) detailing the clothes distributed to the trainee
- a copy of the Court Report (s) and related documents
- a copy of the Psychological Assessment reports (if applicable)
- a copy of Police statements relating to any charges against the trainee
- notification of Movement of Young Persons Form(s)
- copies of reports from regional Case Planning Meetings
- classification Action Sheets, which detail the discussion and document the case plan decided upon at the Classification review Meeting held periodically about each trainee.
- classification Review/ Personal Report, a form filled out by the trainee to appraise their own progress and set out their aims
- returned absconder forms
- financial statements of trainee's earnings (pocket money)
- section report sheets, which were printed sheets where any comment about the trainee was hand copied by night staff from the Section Reports, which documented the daily activities/mood of the entire section
- a copy of remand intake remand report
- visitor record forms
- mail record slips, giving details of a trainee's incoming and outgoing mail
- leave pass slips
- copies of personal and departmental correspondence.