Cashel & Tipperary Youth Diversion Project (YDP)

YDP’s are community based, multi-agency, youth crime prevention initiatives which primarily seek to divert young people involved in or at risk of becoming involved in criminal/anti-social behaviour away from the criminal justice system by providing suitable activities to facilitate personal development, promote civic responsibility and improve long-term employability prospects. 

The Youth Diversion Project works with young people aged 12-17 who are involved in, or at risk of becoming involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour. 

Working either one to one and/or group work, our Youth Diversion Project aims to support young people in their personal, civic & social development. Our YDP aims to promote focused and effective interventions to challenge and divert young people from offending/ reoffending and anti-social behaviour.

Early Intervention

The Early Intervention is part of the YDP but specifically works with young people aged between 8 to 11 year olds who are at risk of engaging in criminality or anti-social behaviour later in life, provide tailored support to the families of their participants, support schools to retain YDP participants in the education system, and conduct outreach work with those children and young people who have been identified as harder-to-reach.

Family Support

The YDP Family Support service provides support for the families of those engaged in the YDP assisting family members, parents, and guardians in engaging in productive conversations with the youth to promote good behavioural change in the home and community.

Objectives

Support families of young people who have offended or are at risk of offending, with the aim of reducing the offending behaviour.

In collaboration with the wider YDP team, Youth Justice practitioners providing Family Support work a ‘whole family’ approach, where the family is supported, as a unit.

Our Youth Diversion Project works in partnership with the  Irish Youth Justice Service. This project is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.

Youth Diversion Project (YDP) – Aims, Outcomes & Activities

AIMS:

Promote pro-social behaviour and guide the young person to make positive life choices

Emphasis on school attendance and performance and extra-curricular activities with a pro-social focus.

Engagement with the child’s family, providing support and tools to assist parents in dealing with their child’s behaviour.

Consultation and coordination with other appropriate agencies are important and fulfilled to avoid duplication of work.

OUTCOMES:

Although the individual outcome for each young person varies depending on individual needs, the general outcomes for young people involved GYDP are:

Greater sense of personal worth

Improved sense of civic & social involvement

Understanding of benefit of educational attachment and/or attainment

Increased engagement with pro-social peers

Improved use of recreation time

Positive outcomes in these areas have proven to lead to a reduction in the likelihood of a young person offending/re-offending.

Programmes & Activities

With the support of Youth Justice Workers, young people can participate in a diverse range of youth work programmes & activities including:

Life Skills & Personal Development
Civic & Social Development
Drug & Alcohol Awareness & Education
Sexual Health Programmes
Positive Mental Health & Wellbeing
Conflict resolution
International Youth Exchanges
Education Support through Alternative Learning Programmes
Collaborative support with internal and external agencies, such as, Family Support in local Family Resource Centers