Ms Sin?ad Harris:

It is important that we hone in on the issue of 18- to 24-year-olds. Just because someone turns 18 years of age does not mean that he or she suddenly has life skills and is able to take on the big bad world. Two Garda youth diversion projects are based in Ronanstown. When young people turn 18, they come off the books, but we still try to engage them through youth services so that they can still get the supports they need, be it in terms of employment, training or just getting out of the bed in the morning. There is this idea that someone becomes an adult when turning 18, but we still need to fund services for people aged 18 to 24.

A good cohort of people in that age group engage in the upper end of youth supports. They came up through youth projects and have reached a stage where they are able to take on other projects and start making a difference in their communities for other young people. They join committees or local clubs, return to youth services and get other young people involved. It becomes cyclical when they turn that age.

An open-door policy is necessary. Even if people leave a group or youth service, the door should always remain open to them so that they know they can return and access the service whenever they need it. We have a 23-year-old who is in addiction. He came in seeking help from us. It had probably been three or four years since we had last seen him, but he knew the door was open. The relationship we had built up over previous years meant that, having found himself in that situation again, he felt comfortable enough to come through our door and get the same service he got when he was 16. That is important.