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Departmental Projects

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 March 2022

Tuesday, 29 March 2022

Questions (99)

Paul Kehoe

Question:

99. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Justice the progress that is being made on the green town project; the number of vulnerable families that the programme is assisting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16196/22]

View answer

Written answers

As the Deputy will be aware, the Greentown pilot programme represents an important deliverable under the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-27. This internationally recognised initiative is being led by the REPPP Project (Research Evidence into Policy, Programmes and Practice) at the School of Law in the University of Limerick (UL). The REPPP project is a strategic research partnership between UL and my Department. The REPPP originally produced the Greentown Report, which studied the influence of criminal networks on children in Ireland, and was published in December 2016.

The report identifies crime networks as a separate and plausible risk factor underlying criminal offending by certain children. It outlines how the influence of criminal networks increases the level of offending by a small number of children and entraps them in offending situations.

The report recommended the design of a programme to include interventions with children and their families to help them withstand the influence of criminal networks. The REPPP project team implemented a bespoke design process to produce a model for an Irish evidence-informed intervention programme. This new Greentown Programme has been designed with the input of leading international expertise on crime and criminal networks, together with Irish scientific, policy and practice expertise in child protection and welfare, drugs and community development.

Trial site applications of the Greentown Programme, developed by the REPPP, commenced in two locations in late 2020 and will run for three years. Confidentiality and security of the persons and families concerned are paramount for the success of the programme and therefore the location of the trial sites cannot be disclosed. The number of vulnerable families that the programme is assisting at any given time is around 25, which equates to approximately 40 young people and family members being directly impacted. The programme is also working with other community bodies in the trial sites and has assisted, for example, in setting up community collaborations in the area of self-development courses.

The learning from the trial sites will be incorporated into mainstream Youth Diversion Projects (YDP) practice as well as other community programmes.

Furthermore, I can inform the Deputy that funds are already secured for the initial trial sites from the Dormant Accounts Funds, with a total of €4.2m allocated over three years.

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