Ms Kayleigh Canning:

I thank the committee for inviting Foróige to speak today on antisocial behaviour. I am a senior youth officer with the best practice development team for Garda youth diversion projects, GYDPs. I am accompanied by my colleague Ms Bernie Meally, area manager for Foróige's south-east region and a member of the expert steering group for the recently launched youth justice strategy. Foróige is a national youth development organisation working with over 50,000 young people aged from ten to 24 across Ireland through a range of universal and targeted youth supports, including GYDPs. Funded by the Department of Justice, these projects seek to divert young people from entering or remaining within the justice system by providing a range of evidence-based, outcome-focused interventions. There are 105 GYDPs across the country, and Foróige manages over 40 of these.

In our experience, based on our targeted and universal youth services, there is a spectrum of behaviours displayed by young people that may be perceived as antisocial. These range from congregating in public places to deliberately causing disruption, harassment and intimidation. However, there is an important distinction to be made between antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour, and it should be recognised that while some young people may engage in antisocial behaviour, this may never result in a criminal offence due to several factors, such as age, detection and reporting.

International research has identified risk factors directly related to criminal or antisocial behaviour among young people — for example, family circumstances or substance misuse — and we now have a clear understanding of these risks and other relevant community, geographical and socio-economic factors that contribute to youth offending. While crime patterns can differ depending on the locality, national trends indicate that young people engaging in offending behaviour in Ireland are typically males in their older teens who carry out thefts and public order and criminal damage offences. However, the age–crime curve demonstrates that while offending increases from late childhood and peaks in the teenage years, it tends to decline in the early 20s, and the majority of young people in Ireland who offend do not go on to reoffend.

In addressing antisocial behaviour, Foróige recommends the following: enhanced investment in the provision of universal youth work across the country; investment in research and evidence-based and targeted programmes and approaches designed to address the issues and needs underpinning criminal or antisocial behaviour, such as restorative practices and motivational interviewing; implementation of the youth justice strategy, prioritising nationwide GYDP service, early intervention, family support and inter-agency collaboration; the strengthening of youth justice policies and practices, taking account of age, maturity, disadvantage and diversity, which includes enhanced effective services for young adults aged from 18 to 24, recognising their unique stage of development; the enhancement of the capacity of all professionals working with young people at risk to engage appropriately and from a child-centred perspective, ensuring the voice of young people informs policies, programmes and systems; and the timely processing of young people in the justice system.

Foróige believes the recommendations will assist with targeting the behaviours, risks and needs underpinning antisocial behaviour among the youth population. We thank members for taking the time to listen to our statement today. Ms Meally and I would welcome any questions they may have.