Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 May 2017
275. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which her Department continues to engage with juvenile offenders with a view to providing rehabilitative or educational supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22628/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 (Oberstown) and the Bail Supervision Scheme which has recently been established on a pilot basis.
The Bail Supervision Scheme provides therapeutic supports in the community for children who are subject to bail conditions. The service is 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.
If a child is remanded or sentenced to a period of detention in Oberstown, a range of rehabilitative supports is offered 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.
The Assessment, Consultation and Therapy Service (ACTS) is a national service provided by Tusla; they provide clinical services to children in the community, children in detention and also in special care facilities. On admission to Oberstown an individual management plan is put in place for each child which includes a mental health assessment to determine the need for more specialist support provided by ACTS and short term interventions may continue when the child returns to the Community.
Oberstown also have service level agreements with EPIC, the Youth Advocacy Programme (YAP) and Le Chéile - Mentoring and Youth Justice Support Services. These provide rehabilitative services to children and young people in detention and during their transition back to their home and community by providing mentoring and support to both the young person and their family.
The Department of Education and Skills provides education and training services through the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board. These include both primary and secondary level courses as well as a wide range of vocational and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) accredited awards through the Oberstown Education Centre.
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 in December 2016, is available on my Department's website.
