From:Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

Minister of State with responsibility for International Law, Law Reform and Youth Justice, Catherine Ardagh attended the official opening of Providing Opportunities in North Tipperary (POINT) Youth Diversion Project in Thurles today. The YDP primarily covers Thurles, Templemore and surrounding areas of central Tipperary.

The official opening of this YDP marks the major milestone of full nationwide coverage of the Youth Diversion service, a key commitment in the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027. There are now 92 Youth Diversion Projects and 4 Targeted Youth Diversion Projects operating across the State.

Speaking at the opening, Minister Ardagh said:

“I’m delighted to be here with the dedicated staff, members of the community, and the larger YDP network, to mark the opening of POINT YDP. This is my first opportunity to attend the official opening of a Youth Diversion Project since my appointment, and it is certainly a landmark occasion.

“YDPs and the statutory Garda Diversion Programme have proven to be very successful in improving outcomes for young people and offering guidance and support to their families. Putting in place structures to divert young people away from the criminal justice system, away from the courts and the lasting impact that a sentence can have on opportunities to travel and access work and education, is vital to community safety.

“With the official opening of POINT YDP, diversion is available to all children and young people, regardless of where they live in Ireland. This achievement cannot be understated, particularly because of the positive impact YDPs have on children, their families and our larger communities.

“There are many examples of positive outcomes for children and young people who engage with Diversion Projects. I know that Youth Justice Workers across the YDP network come together with young people to help them realise their full potential every week.

“I know of a young man in Dublin who, before he started engaging with a YDP, spent most of his days in his room away from school and friends, and with the support of a Youth Justice Worker, went on to enrol in Youth Work courses at college. A further example is of a young man who was supported by his Youth Justice Worker to achieve his goal of joining the Defence Forces and is now serving his country with the UN in Lebanon. And a young woman in Cork who, despite not having much familial support, committed herself to studies with the support of a YDP, and then went on to become a nurse in the UK.”

Youth Diversion Projects are community-based, multi-agency youth crime prevention initiatives which primarily seek to divert children and young people aged 12 to 17 years who have been, or are at risk of becoming, involved in anti-social and/or criminal behaviour. Over the past decade, YDPs have also expanded to provide services to children ages 8-11, as well as specialist supports to families.

YDPs are also complemented by Targeted Youth Diversion Projects (TYDPs) which provide intensive supports to children and young people who are engaged in, or at risk of engaging in serious and prolific offending.

“With diversion now available across the country, we ensure that every child who comes to the attention of the Garda National Youth Diversion Bureau is offered the opportunity to engage with the supports, and potential for change, offered by a Youth Diversion Project.

“The Government is committed to ensuring continued funding of youth justice services. Under Budget 2026, an additional €7.3 million in core funding for Youth Justice measures was secured by Minister O’Callaghan. This brings total investment this year to €43 million – which means we have almost doubled the budget allocation for Youth Justice measures since 2020.

“Diversion both protects our young people and strengthens our communities by creating and investing in interventions for vulnerable young people that will not only divert them away from criminality but keep them away from it permanently.

“The Government’s focus on early intervention and diversion is aimed at promoting positive behavioural change and breaking the cycle of offending by young people. YDPs, such as POINT, aim to engage with those most at risk of involvement in criminal activity, as well as address underlying factors that cause this involvement.

“I want to thank all the staff of POINT YDP and Foróige, which administer 30 YDPs across the country, for their hard work and dedication. I look forward to visiting more YDPs across the country to learn more about the excellent work they do.”

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, speaking of nationwide coverage of the Diversion Project network, added:

“The path for every young person who engages with a YDP is not always easy or straight-forward, but we know the supports provided by YDPs are effective, life-changing and lead to a reduction in youth offending. We see this in how children and young people improve in their own confidence and life prospects, in how families re-connect and in how our communities come together to celebrate the achievements of young people in their area.

“I want to wish POINT YDP, and all of our now nationwide YDPs, every success in the years ahead as they provide support to young people, their families and communities across the country.”

POINT YDP is administered by Foróige, Ireland’s largest youth organisation. Foróige employs over 500 staff and involves thousands of volunteers in the creation and delivery of high-quality services to young people through the operation of over 400 Foróige Clubs, the Big Brother Big Sister Programme and over 140 General Youth Services and Special Projects - including 30 Youth Diversion Projects.

Youth Diversion Projects are co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.

Part 4 of the Children Act 2001 provides the statutory basis for the Garda Youth Diversion Programme. The intention of this programme is to divert children, aged 12-17 years old, who have engaged in criminal or anti-social behaviour away from the Criminal Justice system and towards more positive pro-social behaviour and life choices.

Young people who are deemed suitable by the Director of the Garda Youth Diversion Programme are referred to local Youth Diversion Projects, where, in collaboration with a Garda Juvenile Liaison Officer, Youth Diversion Projects provide supports to children to address their behaviour, engage in positive self-development, and connect with their communities.

Next year the Department will undertake the development of the successor strategy to the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027. Consultations with key stakeholders will take place over the course of 2027 to determine future priorities for the lifetime of the next strategy.

Since the launch of the Strategy, considerable progress has been made to enhance the capacity of Youth Diversion Projects capacity to engage those who are most at risk of involvement in criminal activity, as well as address the underlying factors that cause this involvement.

This has been achieved by extending existing YDP project catchment areas and developing specialised Early Intervention, Family Support and Harder-to-Reach YDP programmes which seek to support the following groups:

While the vast majority of children are deemed to be suitable for diversion by the Garda National Youth Diversion Bureau, there is a population of young offenders engaged in serious and prolific offending who require more targeted interventions and therefore may be deemed unsuitable for diversion from the Criminal Justice system.

For these cases, the Department, in collaboration with the Probation Service, operates a number of initiatives distinctly designed to address serious and prolific youth offending, namely the Bail Supervision Scheme and Targeted Youth Diversion Projects, including the Greentown Programme.