Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)
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32. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of children engaged in the Garda diversion programme; the number with juvenile liasion officers; his plans to review and develop the programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53276/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Diversion Programme operates in accordance with Part 4 of the Children Act 2001, as amended, and under the general superintendence and control of the Garda Commissioner. The objective of the Diversion Programme is to divert any child who accepts responsibility for his or her criminal or anti social behaviour from committing further offences or engaging in further anti social behaviour. This is done by way of administering a formal or informal caution, thus diverting the offender away from the courts and minimising the likelihood of further offending. The Programme embraces, whenever possible, the principles of restorative justice and the programme also pays regard to the needs of the victims of youth offending.

The Programme is supported by 100 Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs). These projects are nationwide, community-based, multi-agency crime prevention initiatives. The projects are run in partnership with An Garda Síochána and funded/overseen by my Department‘s unit within the Irish Youth Justice Service. These projects seek to divert young people from involvement in anti-social and/or criminal behaviour. Annual Reports of the Committee appointed to monitor the effectiveness of the Diversion Programme under Part 4 of the Children Act 2001, as amended, are published each year and are available on the website of the Irish Youth Justice Service (www.iyjs.ie). The reports include detailed statistics in relation to the operation of the Programme including details of the resources deployed by the Commissioner in relation to the Programme.

The 2012 Report, which was published recently, shows that 12,246 children were referred to the Programme in that year, down from 12,809 in 2011. Fifteen percent of the children (1,822) were deemed unsuitable for the Programme and their files were returned to the local Gardaí for possible prosecution. The report also shows that there were 123 Juvenile Liaison Officer (JLO) posts comprising of 115 Gardaí and 8 JLO Sergeants.

The Garda Juvenile Liaison Officer engages with the child offender in a variety of ways. The majority of children who are admitted to the Diversion Programme receive an informal caution. The informal caution generally does not involve a period of supervision by the JLO. Thus the interaction between the JLO and that child and family in this situation may be limited to one or two meetings. Children who receive a formal caution are placed under the supervision of a JLO. This will involve a series of meetings with the child and his or her family over a period of time up to 12 months.

With regard to development of the Programme, you may be aware that earlier this week, I along with my colleague the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, launched "Tackling Youth Crime - Youth Justice Action Plan 2014-2018". This Plan is also available on the Youth Justice website - www.iyjs.ie. The Plan sets out specific objectives addressing the development and use of diversion in the community. The range of initiatives being pursued include:

- improving the analysis of youth crime through the Garda Analysis Service,

- utilising our resources in areas of greatest need and to establish effective crime prevention supports in cooperation with other youth service providers nationwide.

- improving the effectiveness of the Garda Youth Diversion Projects by further development of focussed interventions which challenge and divert young people from offending behaviour;

- the alignment of Garda Youth Diversion Projects with youth offending hot spots and the maximising of links between the Diversion Programme and these projects.

Finally, it is important to state that the Diversion Programme has been shown to be successful in diverting young offenders away from crime by offering guidance and support to the young people and their families. As you will note from the Youth Justice Action Plan, Government is committed to continuing the development of the diversion approach. This is also reflected in the budget of the Community Programmes area of my Department which I have protected from cuts over the past few years.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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33. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update on the youth diversion projects and progress made on reducing anti-social behaviour and criminal behaviour in young people, links with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, and any new initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5248/14]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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There are 100 Garda Youth Diversion Projects (GYDPs) nationwide. These projects are community-based, multi-agency crime prevention initiatives run by community based organisations in partnership with An Garda Síochána and they are funded/overseen by my Department‘s unit within the Irish Youth Justice Service.

The projects receive their participants mainly between the ages of 12 and 17 through a referral system operated by the local Garda Juvenile Liaison Officer. These projects primarily seek to divert young people who have been involved in anti-social and/or criminal behaviour by providing suitable activities to facilitate personal development, promote civic responsibility and improve long-term employability prospects. The projects undertake a series of programmes and activities which are aimed at changing behaviours, attitudes and lifestyles of project participants to bring about positive change and learning outcomes. Essentially the projects provide a resource to An Garda Síochána and to Juvenile Liaison Officers in particular, in the implementation of the Diversion Programme as set out in Part 4 of the Children Act 2001. Most projects are located within areas of high social disadvantage.

Over the last number of years the Community Programmes Unit of the Irish Youth Justice Service in cooperation with An Garda Síochána has been working to improve the quality and effectiveness of the services provided by the GYDPs. As part of this process, joint training sessions for youth justice workers, Garda Juvenile Liaison Officers and Community Gardaí were delivered over the past number of years on a variety of topics, including motivational interviewing, pro-social modelling, dealing with parents who are ambivalent to young person’s offending and risk assessment. Significant work has also been undertaken by IYJS in partnership with An Garda Síochána to improve the governance of the projects. This includes annual business planning which is informed by local youth crime data. This enables projects to develop a youth crime profile of the catchment area so that services can be deployed effectively. This process is complemented by the use of a risk assessment tool with each participant designed to identify the needs of the individual participant and to enable the project to design interventions that provide the best possible outcome for the participant. The focus is on the continued development of targeted evidence based intervention and planning, leading to improved outcomes for young people coming to the attention of An Garda Síochána.

In recent months a trial site initiative involving 15 projects has commenced which is designed to test some new measures and enhance skills across these projects. There is also a pilot underway with the projects located in Kerry in cooperation with An Garda Síochána and Kerry Diocesan Youth Service. The pilot seeks to deliver the Garda Youth Diversion Project service across the whole of the county as opposed to the localised catchment areas the projects were located in. This pilot will be evaluated towards the end of 2014.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs fund the provision of youth services and programmes to young people throughout the country through a number of schemes. These schemes include the Youth Service Grant Scheme, the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund Rounds 1 and 2, Local Drug Task Force projects and certain other provisions including the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme and Youth Information Centres. This funding supports the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth sector. In addition three specialist staff, who were formerly part of the Irish Youth Justice Service, provide part-time support to the IYJS Community Programmes Unit for the operation of the Garda Youth Diversion Projects.

You will no doubt be aware that earlier this week, I along with my colleague The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, published "Tackling Youth Crime - a Youth Justice Action Plan 2014-2018". The Action Plan will form part of the National Anti-Crime Strategy being developed as part of the White Paper on Crime process, with its focus on crime reduction and safer communities. It will also form part of the Children and Young People’s Policy Framework being developed in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, with its focus on better outcomes for children and families. This Plan is available on the Youth Justice website - www.iyjs.ie. The Plan sets out specific objectives addressing the development and use of diversion in the community. The range of initiatives being pursued include:

- improving the analysis of youth crime through the Garda Analysis Service,

- utilising our resources in areas of greatest need and to establish effective crime prevention supports in cooperation with other youth service providers nationwide.

- improving the effectiveness of the Garda Youth Diversion Projects by further development of focussed interventions which challenge and divert young people from offending behaviour;

- the alignment of Garda Youth Diversion Projects with youth offending hot spots and the maximising of links between the Diversion Programme and these projects.

Tackling youth crime continues to be a key priority for this Government as set out in the Programme for Government.