Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Under the Children Act 2001, and in line with Ireland's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the detention of children should be regarded as a last resort. In recent years, developments in youth justice, including considerable investment in alternatives to detention as well as diversion programmes, have seen the numbers of children detained significantly reduce from historic levels. The current Youth Justice Strategy commits to further development of these non-custodial approaches in addressing offending by children and young people.

Oberstown Children Detention School is the sole facility in the State where children may be remanded or sentenced to detention by the Courts. Oberstown provides a comprehensive programme of care and education to all children on remand or serving sentences of detention there. This includes a focus on supporting children to address their offending behaviours and prepare them for successful reintegration to their communities when they leave. All activity at Oberstown is underpinned by a Children's Rights Policy Framework, whose purpose is to embed children's rights in all aspects of the operation of the campus. Specially trained care staff provide individualised care to the children in custom built facilities that were extensively re-developed in 2016. The school at Oberstown operates under the patronage of the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board and provides full academic and vocational training according to the needs of the children and in line with national curricula.

The maximum number of children that may be in residence at Oberstown at any one time is currently 40 boys and 6 girls, giving a total of 46. Over the period January to April 2023 inclusive, the average occupancy, including both remand and detention, was 36 children. Occupancy levels are closely monitored by the Oberstown Director, and by my own Department. Oberstown operates a robust referral system and works closely with the Courts on a daily basis regarding the availability of spaces. The Director also makes use of discretionary powers available to him under the Children Act, including temporary permitted absences where appropriate.