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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 24 Apr 2002

Vol. 552 No. 4

Written Answers. - Care Places for Juveniles.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

114 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the need for negotiations with the Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, and Education and Science, to address the urgent need for custodial or care places for juveniles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12775/02]

The Department of Health and Children and the Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Education and Science are already involved in a multi-agency approach to developing responses, including the provision of custodial or care place provision where necessary, for troubled and troublesome young people. This work is taking place in the context of the implementation of the Children Act, 2001.

The Deputy might be aware that the Cabinet committee on children decided that the National Children's Office – NCO – should take the lead role in relation to co-ordinating the implementation of the Children Act, 2001. A working group, chaired by the NCO and comprising high-level representation from this Department and the Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Education and Science and their respective local level agencies, has been established for this purpose. The Children Act is major legislation which provides a new framework for the development of the juvenile justice system and makes provision for addressing the needs of out-of-control, non-offending children. At the last meeting of the Cabinet committee on children I submitted proposals prepared by the working group in relation to the phased implementation of the Act. These proposals were approved by the Cabinet committee and significant parts of the Act will be brought into operation during 2002.
The Children Act represents a major shift in terms of how children in the juvenile justice and welfare systems will be treated. There is a significant new emphasis in the legislation away from residential and custodial care to care in the community for these children. Detention is to be a last resort. However, the provision of appropriate residential facilities and services to assist these children and facilitate their reintegration into their communities will continue to be a priority. In this regard, the National Children's Office, through the working group, will be monitoring the levels of existing places provision and the plans for the delivery of the new and refurbished residential services, including the new detention centres already approved by the Government.
With regard to the provision of care and custodial places for children, the following is the position. Capital investment of approximately €38.09 million is being made possible by the Government through the health boards to put in place additional high support and special care places and to provide for a small group of children who need more intensive intervention than mainstream residential or foster-care services. The health boards have informed me that the number of high support and special care places and individual high support packages identified by health boards for such children has increased from 17 in 1996 to a current total of 94. Sixty-two of these places are currently occupied. An additional 41 high support and special care places are planned as follows: in the eastern region a high support facility providing 24 places at Portrane is nearing completion; the Midland Health Board, North-Eastern Health Board, North-Western Health Board and the Western Health Board are co-operating to provide 12 high support places on a single campus in Castleblaney; and the Mid-Western Health Board will be providing five special care places for adolescent boys on behalf of the Southern Region – Mid-Western Health Board, Southern Health Board and the South-Eastern Health Board – in a purpose-built facility which is nearing completion. Places in these facilities are due to become available in mid-2002.
The Minister for Education and Science has statutory responsibility for the provision of residential places for children up to the age of 16 years who are referred by the courts. There are five young offender centres under the aegis of the Department of Education and Science, which are as follows: Trinity House, Oberstown, Lusk, County Dublin; Oberstown Boys Centre, Oberstown, Lusk, County Dublin; Oberstown Girls Centre, Oberstown, Lusk, County Dublin; Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre, Kildonan Road, Finglas west, Dublin 11; and St. Joseph's Special School, Ferryhouse, Clonmel, County Tipperary.
These centres provide residential accommodation for up to 162 children, including 31 remand places. The current operational capacity is 132 places. The operational capacity of these centres will fluctuate from time to time to facilitate refurbishment and new developments. In addition, capacity is also reduced where a centre is required to make special arrangements in order to cater for a particularly difficult child.
The Department of Education and Science is currently implementing a major capital development plan in the young offender centres to ensure that the centres meet obligations that will arise under the Children Act, 2001, in addition to ensuring that they meet modern child care standards. This will result in a total of 181 places for young offenders. The Department has also commissioned an independent review of the residential requirements for young offenders. The purpose of this review is to ensure that there are sufficient residential places available to meet the needs of the target group in the short, medium and longer terms. A consultant has been appointed and it is expected that his report will be available shortly. The outcome of this review will inform future development plans in this area.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has responsibility for the provision of accommodation for young offenders aged between 16 and 21 years. St. Patrick's Institution and Shanganagh Castle are specifically designated to cater for this age group and currently have a combined capacity of 299. The majority of offenders under 18 years of age are detained in these two institutions as well as in Fort Mitchel and Wheatfield prison.
Under the Children Act, 2001, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is obliged to provide separate detention facilities for 16 to 17 year old boys and girls who are committed to custody by the courts either on remand or under sentence. A 38 bed unit for young males in this age group with full support facilities will be provided on a dedicated site adjacent to Cork prison. Preliminary site works have commenced and a tender competition is being run for the accommodation and ancillary facilities. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform expects building work to commence later this year. A facility will also be provided in the Dublin area for 110 offenders aged 16 and 17 years – 90 males and 20 females. The Irish Prison Service is actively negotiating for a site in the greater Dublin area in this regard.
The Probation and Welfare Service also funds 33 community residential places for offenders aged under 18 years. There is also a wide range of non-residential placements or projects available for this age group. Garda diversionary projects have also expanded from 12 to 64 nationally.
Pending the completion of the building programme by the Department of Education and Science, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, in co-operation with the Minister for Education and Science, has agreed to make available up to 20 places, probably in St. Patrick's Institution, for the reception of young offenders. Some of the major provisions of the Children Act, 2001 are also about to be commenced.
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