The Children Act 2001, as amended, provides the statutory basis for dealing with children who come into contact with the criminal justice system. The key principle of the Children Act 2001 is that detention of a child should only be imposed as a last resort. When children come into contact with the criminal justice system there is an emphasis on the promotion of community based options in the first instance. The Irish Youth Justice Service oversees a significant investment in community based programmes to divert young people from further involvement in criminal or anti-social behaviour. In 2016, approximately €17m has been allocated by the Department of Justice and Equality to the Irish Youth Justice Service to administer Garda Youth Diversion Projects, Young Persons Probation Projects and a number of other youth diversion community-based projects. These projects also benefit from support under the European Social Fund.
My Department provides funding to the Irish Youth Justice Service for services relating to the Oberstown Children Detention Campus and the Bail Supervision Scheme which has recently been established
It is intended that the Bail Supervision Scheme will provide more therapeutic supports in the community for children who are subject to bail conditions. The service will provide a ‘wraparound’ service to the young person and their family with a prescribed reporting system back to the courts through the appropriate statutory bodies; Probation Service, An Garda Síochána and Oberstown. It is envisioned that such a scheme will offer greater options to the courts in the knowledge that closer monitoring will take place through interaction with the young people, their families and communities.
If a child is remanded or sentenced to a period of detention in the children detention schools, a range of rehabilitative supports is offered to every child as part of an overall programme, which focuses on the child’s individual needs and provides the framework for each child’s individual journey through detention. The focus is on developing supportive relationships with the main emphasis placed on education and rehabilitation. Each child is the subject of an individual screening to determine any clinical services required, such as psychology, psychiatry or speech and language therapy. A placement plan is developed and reviewed at regular intervals during each child’s stay in detention. The strong ethos of school attendance, education and training, in place in Oberstown, is tailored to each child's individual needs. Education and training services are provided by the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board.
The wide range of rehabilitation, education and support services provided and supported by the Irish Youth Justice Service are detailed in the Tackling Youth Crime: Youth Justice Action Plan 2014 – 2018, and a progress report covering the period 2014 to 2015, published this week can be found on my Departments website.
The Family and Community Services Resource Centre Programme (FRC programme), which is operated by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, provides supports to 109 communities. Tusla has provided core funding of approximately €13m this year to its established network of 107 Centres nationwide, and two outreach Centres. The primary role of the FRC programme is prevention and early intervention through family support, by providing guidance and parenting supports, and is a key programme in reducing offending behaviour among children at risk. The Centres emphasise the involvement of local communities in tackling the problems they face, and creating successful partnerships between voluntary and statutory agencies at community level.
In addition, the Educational Welfare Services of Tusla operating under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, work together collaboratively and cohesively with schools and other relevant services to promote school attendance and secure better educational outcomes for children and young people.
