Lockdowns resume at Ashley Youth Detention Centre

That comes after a more than month-long lockdown in July prompted several child psychologists to label the potential long-term effects for adolescents placed in sustained isolation as "significant and devastating".

Tasmania's Commissioner for Children and Young People, Leanne McLean, also intervened in the matter, saying she observed a negative impact on the child detainees' well-being when visiting Ashley during that time.

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The saga seemingly concluded in late August, when premier and mental health minister Jeremy Rockliff, jointly announced with education, children, and youth minister, Roger Jaensch, that changes had been made.

The duo revealed newly-appointed youth workers had completed their induction process and that a further recruitment round was already being undertaken.

They also said new operations and management staff would commence and experienced, therapeutically-trained staff from other jurisdictions had been brought in on a temporary basis to boost staffing at the centre.

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However, Health and Community Services Union assistant state secretary Lucas Digney said it had taken two months before those changes became obsolete and the staffing situation at Ashley returned to "chaos".

"The kids are back in their rooms for most of the day because it's simply not safe for them to be let out with minimal staff available to react to a range of emergency situations that could arise at any given time," he said.

"The staff are off for the same reasons as before, so mostly workers' compensation claims relating to burnout, but we've noticed a few have actually refused to work their shifts this time around due to the health risks associated with working longer hours with way less staff on."

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State Labor's shadow minister for children and youth, Sarah Lovell, said it was "alarming" worker absences at Ashley were not being adequately covered as of yet.

"Workers there are stressed and in a position where they can't do the job they are employed to do," she said.

"Now youth at Ashley are having their human rights violated by being locked up for an extended period of time."

Ms Lovell called on premier Rockliff to release a plan for the closure of Ashley - committed to over a year ago - and the safe transition of young people in custody.

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A Department for Education, Children, and Young People spokesperson said a combination of factors were affecting staffing ratios at Ashley, including planned and unplanned leave, as well as a comparatively high number of detainees with a mix of both male and female residents at the facility.

"This requires higher staffing ratios in order to appropriately meet the needs of all cohorts of young people in the centre, [and] in order to ensure the safety of the young people and staff at AYDC, restrictive practices will be implemented as needed when required staffing ratios cannot be met," they said.

"Young people at AYDC are still able to access phone calls, medical and psychological appointments, and out-of-room exercise, while recruitment of new staff has occurred in recent weeks."

Minister Jaensch said supporting the youth detention centre's existing workforce was an "immediate priority".

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