Positive assessment of youth diversion projects

In June 2023, the Department of Justice launched the first evaluation project of youth diversion projects which has reported a positive impact in its goals of turning youths away from lives of crime.

The evaluation, undertaken by Research Matters Ltd in the period between December 2021 and November 2022, is the first of its kind. The Department of Justice has stated that the overall purpose of the evaluation is to generate policy-relevant knowledge concerning the structure, conduct, and impacts of youth diversion projects (YDPs).

The Youth Diversion Programme is provided for in the Childrens Act 2001. The Diversion Programme is supported by a network of youth diversion projects (YDPs).

YDPs are community-based multi-agency crime prevention initiatives, which seek to divert young people who have become involved in crime and/or anti-social behaviour and to support wider preventative work within their community and with families at risk. At the time of publication, there are currently 105 YDPs running in the State, and a further 10 projects with a special focus (for example: more challenging children, family support).

Overall, the evaluation project report shows that YDPs are performing well in many areas and are known to impact positively on reducing crime.

The European Social Fund+ (ESF+) provides the European Union with the financial means to ‘invest in people’. The current round of funding was allocated in 2021 and will run until 2027.

The Department of Justice was allocated co-funding for Youth Diversion Projects through the ESF+ Programme 2021-2027 for the specific purpose of improving the education and employability prospects of young people engaged in the projects.

The Department of Justice states that it actively promotes crime prevention policy through “focused educational interventions influencing positive development of young people towards becoming responsible citizens”.

“Funding for these interventions is based on evidence that diverting young offenders from the criminal justice system, and preventative work with young people at risk, is to their long-term benefit and that of society as a whole,” the Department says.

“The Youth Justice Strategy is seen as an empowering and integrative mechanism for future work, though it is also clear that additional financial and personnel resources will be needed.”

Evaluating initiatives

The Evaluation of Youth Diversion Projects, published by the Department of Justice in June 2023, says that that governance of YDPs at national level “works well” and “while a small number of recommendations are made, these relate more to strategy and operational matters than governance”. “While views about the function of the local level structures are positive, some overlap and inconsistencies have been identified in this evaluation and recommendations are made to respond to these,” the report states.

It adds that there is a “willingness, an appetite and, indeed, an expectation” that the range of services offered by YDPs will be increased “in the coming years”. “Both the managers and the project committees are committed to this even if with slightly different priorities. The Youth Justice Strategy is seen as an empowering and integrative mechanism for future work, though it is also clear that additional financial and personnel resources will be needed,” the report outlines.

In addition, the report finds that the relative allocation of funds to pay and non-pay costs presented in the budget files is “appropriate” given the nature of the work that takes place in YDPs. It explains:

“In some budgets, the allocation to pay costs is considerably lower (as low as 54 per cent of the budget) or considerably higher (as high as 84 per cent), which warrants further review. It is also concluded that some consideration needs to be given to greater equity in salary scales and, if possible, the introduction of some form of standardised approach.”

Looking at allocation of funding, the report states all projects are not operating from the same budget base as some projects have their own transport whilst, in other projects, youth justice workers use their own cars to provide transport for participants.

It explains that some projects have premises with very high specifications (e.g., in terms of space, warmth, facilities) while others have no premises at all. Some projects have greater disposable funding that can be allocated where crisis situations arise and there is a need to purchase additional services or products.

Concluding, the report evaluates that, whilst there has been a certain scope for success, that certain provisions are required to maximise successful outcomes, including specific premises where “participants can feel they belong; availability of, and access to, experienced and highly skilled personnel; and a range of options that can be employed in identifying and meeting the needs of participants in a tailored way”.