Parallel Workshops
From 2016, the Youth Justice Agency began to develop earlier stage diversion as a way of identifying and addressing early offending behaviour among children with the aim of preventing children who had committed lower level offences entering the formal criminal justice system. Over the last ten years, this focus on diversion at every opportunity has crystallised into a Child First ethos which underpins the whole youth justice system in Northern Ireland.
The impact of this approach has been significant, with large reductions in the number of children appearing in Court and entering custody. This presentation will describe the ongoing journey of diversion and Child First and its impact on children who offend and the youth justice system in Northern Ireland.