Vol. 513 No. 6
136 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of juvenile offenders in residential centres; the proportion of these who have been previously in residential detention; and the process of tracking and support provided by his Department when these children are released from detention. [3157/00]
A total of 141 juvenile offenders were in the care of the special residential schools for young offenders operated under the aegis of my Department on Friday 28 January 2000. Forty-two of these children had been in residential care in the schools on previous occasions.
Programmes of care and education are provided for the children in question in these schools. Effective child care practice requires that proper planning be undertaken when children enter residential care. This process includes measures to support and prepare the young person for re-entry into the community. Consequently no child is discharged from a special residential school for young offenders without a discharge plan being in place. This will normally make provision for discharge on the basis that the child returns to his or her family or to a hostel or other supportive environment. Efforts are also made to enrol the child on a FÁS course or to arrange some other suitable employment or training placement. The Probation and Welfare Service works closely with the young offender schools in this area.
The importance of an effective after-care service for children being released from custody is recognised in the Children Bill, 1999, which provides for much closer co-operation between the agencies involved in this area.
