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Garda Youth Diversion Projects

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 December 2018

Wednesday, 12 December 2018

Questions (138)

John Brady

Question:

138. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the criteria in place for areas to be chosen for the Garda youth diversion projects; his plans to establish the project in Bray and Arklow, County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52337/18]

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Written answers

As the Deputy may be aware, there are currently two Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs) operating in County Wicklow - the New Directions Project, in Bray and the Way Project, in Wicklow town.

At present, there are some 105 GYDPs operating around the country, catering for approximately 4000 young people every year. In general, the location of projects is linked to local needs and the levels of youth crime. The existing network of GYDPs has developed organically over 3 decades and I am committed to ensuring that it continues to develop so that every young person has access to these very valuable programmes, and that they are delivered to the highest standard possible.

During 2018, my Department has engaged in a wide ranging consultation on the future of the Garda Youth Diversion Projects with community stakeholders to inform the preparation of a development programme for GYDPs. It is intended that this will be implemented over a number of years, in partnership with the community-based organisations which run the GYDPs, and An Garda Síochána.

An important aspect of these consultations is the engagement with the young people who participate in GYDPs, including a formal consultation with young people facilitated by the Participation Hub in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

I was delighted to be present at the Annual Conference for GYDPs on 7 November 2018 which provided an important opportunity for engagement with Youth Justice Workers and Garda Juvenile Liaison Officers, as well as some of the young people who participate in local projects. The conference also helped to launch a new Action Research Project (ARP) which will work with some 14 selected GYDPs, to move beyond the testimonial and anecdotal evidence we have that projects work well and provide a good service. The ARP will attempt to capture precisely what specific approaches and interventions work best, document this evidence, and roll the learning from this out across all the projects over a period of years.  I am very pleased that the ARP is being enabled by the support of the REPPP project (Research Evidence into Policy, Programmes and Practice), a research partnership involving the Irish Youth Justice Service and the University of Limerick.

All of this work will help to further develop and enhance, over time and as resources allow, the approach to the location of new projects, in Co. Wicklow and elsewhere, within the overarching objective that all young people in need of such a service have access to a project in their area.

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