European Social Fund –
Garda Youth Diversion
Projects
www.iyjs.ie
Community.iyjs@justice.ie
Joe Gavin
Community Programmes Unit
Irish Youth Justice Service
“Investing in your Future”
Irish Youth Justice Service
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•
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Executive Office of JELR – 2005
Guided by Principles of Children Act
Coordinated strategic approach
Young people (12-17) in trouble with the
law
• Work closely with OMCYA
“Investing in your Future”
IYJS continued
• Community Programmes Division
– Diversion
- Programme – statutory under Children Act
- Garda Youth Diversion Projects
Young Persons Probation – community sanctions
• Detention – last resort
“Investing in your Future”
Garda Youth Diversion Projects
• Community based, multi-agency crime
prevention initiative
• Provide suitable activities in order to divert
young people from criminal/anti – social
behaviour
• 100 Projects in operation
31 – BMW
69 – S&E
• Voluntary basis of attendance
“Investing in your Future”
Management Model
Irish Youth Justice Service
and An Garda Síochána
Youth Organisation
employer
Garda Youth Diversion
Project committee
Local An Garda Síochána
Management
“Investing in your Future”
Locations of Garda Youth Diversion Projects
Multiple projects
Dublin
29
Cork
11
Limerick
6
Investment
Example
Garda projects
€13million 2009
“Investing in your Future”
•
Number of Projects
Numbers of young people engaged
•
0-9 •
10 - 19•
20 - 29•
30 - 39•
•
40 - 49•
50 - 59•
60 - 69•
70 - 79•
Number of Young People Participating
“Investing in your Future”
80 - 89
•
130 - 139
•
170 - 179
•
290 - 299
Ongoing Developments
in Projects
Training - Pro-social modelling
Motivational Interviewing
ambivalent parents
Risk assessment
Fitting interventions to problems identified
Financial Governance - transfer
“Investing in your Future”
Proposal for ESF
• Submission drawn up by An Garda Síochána in July 2006
submitted through the Dept of Justice, Equality and Law
Reform to DET&E in August 2006
• Formal Approval given by Finance in February 2007
• Priority under HCI-OP – Increasing participation and
reducing inequality in the Labour Force
• To the value €25,106,000
- Sub Measure 1 €946,000
- Sub Measure 2 €24,160,000
“Investing in your Future”
Target Participants
• Long term goal of employability
• Social Inclusion
• 12 – 17 year olds
- Primary target group
- Secondary target group
• Referrals from Garda and other sources
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Sub Measure 1
• Personal Development / IT for participants
• 24 pilot projects in 2007
• Funding made available to 80 projects in 2008
• Year 3 not used yet
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Sub Measure 2
• Additional Worker in each project
• Funding made available to projects in 2008 to a
maximum of €38,500 for employment
• Improve capacity of project
• Pathways to employment
“Investing in your Future”
Differences between IYJS
and other Divisions in receipt
of ESF
• Participants in 12 – 17 age bracket
• Selection process of participants
• Projects pre – selected
• Employment issues managed at a local level
“Investing in your Future”
Treo Nua
Garda Youth
Diversion Project
Mairéad Ní Laoi
Project Coordinator
“Investing in your Future”
Overview of Presentation
• Project Context; National to Local
• Referral Pathways
• Common needs of the young people we work with
• Symptoms of these needs
• How do we meet these needs
• Development of Project
• Impact of ESF
• Personal Development Programme
• Case Study
“Investing in your Future”
Context - Nationally
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Referral Pathways
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The most common needs of the
young people in the project
• Parents and family (informal social supports)
– One parent families, lack of supervision, cramped living spaces
• Education, Training and Employment
– Intergenerational unemployment, literacy/numeracy, lack of
employment opportunities
• Environment and deviant peer influence:
– Subculture, anti social behaviour, income available through
criminal activities, distain for authority, discrimination
(accents/address)
“Investing in your Future”
“Acting out regardless of its form or mode,
is caused”
Sgt Brian Downey (2010)
Treating crime will not
reduce youth offending,
as it is a symptom of a
greater need
“Investing in your Future”
What are the symptoms of these
needs?
• Family
– Lack of boundaries, need for attention, hyper vigilant (disorganized
attachment), sad, depressed, poor coping strategies (drinking,
aggressive behaviour), poverty (hungry, scruffy clothes), cannot take
correction/lack of understanding of rules
• Education
– Early school leaving, low literacy/numeracy levels, truancy, low self
confidence, education not a priority, school is seen as a negative,
teachers seen as authority figures (not necessarily trusted or liked)
• Environment
– Easy access and acceptable use of alcohol and drugs, antisocial
behaviour, offending, intergenerational unemployment, gang
subculture, alcohol related crimes, criminal damage, promiscuous
behaviour, distain of authority figures, etc.
“Investing in your Future”
How do we aim to meet these needs?
• To understand and identify each young persons needs and
situation;
• To ensure the young person understands why they are in
the project and the benefits of being in the project;
• To work with the young person on how to meet those
needs in a positive and pro active way; and
• To encourage and facilitate education/training
achievements and to enhance the employability of the
young people in the Garda Youth Diversion Project.
• Work with Gardai, local agencies and community groups in
an effort to address youth offending in the area
“Investing in your Future”
Apply a structured approach to working with the Young People,
their families, education and their environment (friends and
influences)
“Investing in your Future”
Development of Project
• Project opened in May 2007 with one worker employed
• In September 2008, second worker employed through
the European Social Fund
• To date 66 primary clients have availed of services
offered by Treo Nua and approximately 200 secondary
clients
• Huge implications for the Tuam GYDP
• Increase in the range and quality for services
available for the young people of Tuam
“Investing in your Future”
ESF - Impact on Treo Nua
Before....
• One worker, under resourced and over stretched
• Waiting lists in project
• Limited service provision
• Intensive care plans limited
• Home visits limited
• Development of project curtailed
• Largely reactive work, limited preventative work
“Investing in your Future”
ESF – Impact on Treo Nua
After…
• Additional staff member
• Increased number of clients
• Varied service delivery – prevention programmes
• Expansion of project; greater emphasis on education
and employment opportunities of clients
• Increased networking capabilities
• Allowed for a more intensive and holistic approach
• Personal Development funding; new innovative
programme
“Investing in your Future”
Case Study - ESF Programme
Back to Education Initiative and Jobs Club
1. Staff in project observed a number of young
males who were not engaged in any form of
mainstream education and/or training
2. Efforts were made to support these young people
back into school but they were unsuccessful
3. Staff identified that an ‘in between’ service was
necessary that would meet the needs of the
clients
“Investing in your Future”
What were the needs of the young
people?
• Low literacy and numeracy skills
• Poor record of attendance
• Perception of education as a hindrance
• Lack of support and encouragement
• Low self belief and self worth
• No access to education or training*
“Investing in your Future”
BTEI/Jobs Club
• The overall aim of the BTEI is for the young people to
re-enter mainstream education or training and
eventually enter the workforce.
• A predominant theme throughout the course will be
the importance and value of employability and gaining
employment.
• The project worker employed under ESF, will run a
‘Jobs Club’ with the intention of the young people
working towards a FETAC Level 3 Work Orientation
Qualification.
“Investing in your Future”
Preparation
• Meetings were arranged with local schools and
training centres to identify potential clients and
sharing of resources
• Staff designed programme which focused on training
and employability
• Contact was made with the County Galway
Educational Committee – agreed to provide 9 tuition
hours a week
• 62 local businesses were written to and invited to be
partners in the programme
“Investing in your Future”
Case Study - ESF Programme Sub Measure 1
Back to Education Initiative and Jobs Club
• Partnership programme with Treo Nua and County Galway Vocational
Educational Committee
• Targeted young males who were not participating in any form of education,
training or employment in Tuam town
• Course acted as a ‘stop gap’ to assist clients to identify goals and support re-
entry to mainstream education/training
• Education Welfare Officer, Department of Education - Gatekeeper
“Investing in your Future”
Back To Education Initiative
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Progress to date
• Started with 7 participants - ESF Personal
Development
– All clients within four months were placed in a
mainstream education setting
– Each participant exceeded their own expectations
• 2nd Programme – 5 participants – Core Funding/ESF
Worker
– Equally successful; 4 young men in local training centre
– 1 young man in full time employment
“Investing in your Future”
Course 1 & 2
Participant
Current Situation
1
Student in Tuam Community Training Centre
2
Student in Tuam Community Training Centre
3
Co Galway VEC – Leaving Certificate Programme
4
Co Galway VEC – Leaving Certificate Programme
5
Completed Junior Certificate; starting in Probation Training Centre in
June 2010
6
Student in Youthreach Tuam
7
Student in mainstream post primary school
8
Employed full time
9
Student in Youthreach
10
Student in Tuam Community Training Centre
11
Student in Youthreach
12
Student in Youthreach
“Investing in your Future”
My Story as T41 and/or No.3
Two years ago I was
kicked out of school. I
was getting in alot of
trouble for fighting and
being cheeky with the
teachers.
I was getting in trouble
with the Gardaí in town
for drinking and
messing and that’s how
I got into the project.
“Investing in your Future”
I get wound up
really easily and
loose my temper,
I’m getting better
but it’s hard and
people annoy me
really easily.
“Investing in your Future”
I was at home and really
bored. I had alot of time
to think about getting
kicked out of school, and
I regretted it but I didn’t
want go back.
I didn’t know what I
wanted but I was getting
more bored and pissed
off with everyone and
everything.
“Investing in your Future”
I joined the BTEI.
The BTEI was ok. It
was hard to come in
and get up in the
mornings, Laura and
Mairéad used to collect
me most days.
“Investing in your Future”
Did some good stuff, but the
best part was my work
placement. I didn’t care what I
did – I just wanted to get a job
and money because I’m too
young for the dole. I did my
placement in a shoe shop.
Mairéad helped me get ready for
it and came in with me on my
first day and met me a few times
during the week to see how it
was going.
“Investing in your Future”
It was really boring – I
did stock taking, serving
customers and cleaning.
After a few days and I
was realising that I would
have the worst jobs for
the rest of my life if I
didn’t go back to school
or do some training or
something.
“Investing in your Future”
Then this course came up, it was a
Leaving Cert course for early
school leavers but for adults.
Me and Kev went for it.
The woman was strict and was
making a big deal that we were
allowed to do it.
Anyway after it all, we got a place
and here we are. Still have to
meet Mairéad every week and we
still do trips if we’re good.
“Investing in your Future”
Its good now – get on way
better with my mam because
she doesn’t give out as much. I
feel better now, because I know
with my leaving cert I have
choices – before this I didn’t.
I think I want to be a sports
journalist, so I applied for a few
courses. Applied for sports
ones too because I’m good at
that stuff.
“Investing in your Future”
The course helped me
catch up.
I’m where I should be
which is good.
It’s a good chance and
others should do it.
“Investing in your Future”