Minister for Children announces new national detention facility for children and teenagers
Major new youth justice initiative
6 March 2008
Slieve Russell Hotel, Co Cavan
The Minister for Children, Brendan Smith TD, today announced a new national detention facility to cater for all children up to 18 years, who are ordered to be detained by the courts. The facility will be developed on a single site at the existing Oberstown Campus in Lusk, Co. Dublin.
Speaking at the first biennial conference of the Irish Youth Justice Service at the Slieve Russell Hotel, Co. Cavan, the Minister said: ‘The new facility will provide a total of 167 places in safe and secure accommodation. This capital development will facilitate the transfer of responsibility for 16-17 year old boys from the Irish Prison Service (St. Patrick’s Institution) in the first phase of development, and enable them to be accommodated within children detention schools. All detention schools are managed by the Irish Youth Justice Service, which is an executive office of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform’ said Minister Smith.
This site is already owned by the State and is the location of three existing children detention schools. ‘The new facilities will replace existing outdated detention schools and will provide modern, safe and secure accommodation which will be as advanced as anywhere in the world’ added Mr Smith.
‘I am delighted that the Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the cross-departmental Expert Group established to review the future development of children detention schools and has given the green light for this major capital development. This will have significant implications for the way the State caters for some of its most troubled children and I am confident will lead to better outcomes. This is in keeping with the philosophy of my Office (the Office of the Minister for Children), which deals with children's issues in an integrated and holistic way and involves three Departments; Health and Children, the Early Years Unit of the Department of Education and Science, and the Irish Youth Justice Service of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, working together for the improved co-ordination of services. The new national children detention facility will operate according to best international standards. It will herald a new departure in the way we can support these children to turn away from crime and to re-integrate into their families and communities’ continued the Minister.
This project will result in the transfer of the current facility based in Finglas (Finglas Child and Adolescent Centre) to the site in Lusk. ‘In this regard, I have agreed to establish an inter-departmental working group to examine possible future uses of the existing site at Finglas, for children who come before the courts’ added Minister Smith. The terms of reference and membership of the group will be announced shortly.
‘Planning for the development of the new facilities will commence immediately. All stakeholders including staff, unions, and local community will be consulted on an on-going basis during the development process’ he added.
The Minister concluded by noting that the first National Youth Justice Strategy will be launched later this month.
Ends.
Notes for Editors
The children detention school model is one of individualised care, education and rehabilitation to address offending behaviour, reduce the risk of re-offending and promote positive reintegration back into his/her community for each child.
The decision to develop this new facility arises on foot of a recommendation of the Expert Group established by the Minister for Children. The Group’s Report will be published shortly and is available on www.iyjs.ie.
The Minister for Children, Brendan Smith TD, has delegated functions in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, under the Children Act, 2001.
