2304. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of youth diversion projects per county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57495/26]

2305. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the annual cost associated with running a youth diversion project; for a comprehensive breakdown of these costs, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57496/26]

2306. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if additional youth diversion projects will be funded in the upcoming budget; where these are to be established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57497/26]

2307. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 funding that has been attributed to the strategy to date; for a comprehensive breakdown of this funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57498/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2304, 2305, 2306 and 2307 together.

The Government’s focus on diversion and early interventions is a keystone in the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027. The strategy emphasises early intervention, prevention, family support and community engagement. It is aimed at promoting positive behavioural change and targeting this behaviour so that we can break the cycle of offending by young people.

This Department has, in recent years, significantly increased the funding for youth justice initiatives; the budget allocation for Youth Justice measures has almost doubled from 2020 to 2026, and the total allocation for youth justice measures is now €43 million. With these funds, Youth Diversion Projects employ dedicated Youth Justice workers who respond daily to the needs of young people across the country; over 570 fulltime equivalent youth justice workers have been recruited in recent years. Every young person in Ireland now has access to a youth diversion service.

The following table outlines investment in Youth Justice since 2021:

There are currently 92 Youth Diversion Projects and 4 Targeted Youth Diversion Projects. The programmes offered by these YDPs primarily provide young people between the ages of 12 and 17 years with suitable activities to facilitate their personal development, promote civic responsibility, encourage pro-social behaviour in their communities and improve their educational outcomes and long-term employability prospects.

The estimated full-year cost of a new YDP, comprised of all the elements provided for under the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 (12-17 intervention, Early Intervention, Family Support and Harder-to-Reach programmes) is €400,000.

The minimum core ‘package’ for a YDP now includes two Youth Justice Workers, together with what may be appropriate in the specific locality: a family support youth justice worker, an early intervention youth justice worker, an outreach youth justice worker to engage with harder-to-reach young people, and a team leader where the number of other staff requires such a post. The Department funds these posts based on the needs, size and population base of each YDP catchment area, and as feasible given the per annum budget allocation. Therefore, the actual cost of establishing new YDP projects varies from €200,000 to €400,000. There may also be additional start-up costs in the first year, which also vary based on the particular needs of each YDP.

The average annual cost of a Targeted YDP, which are projects that aim to address the needs of children who are hard to reach, engaged in serious and prolific offending, and may not be deemed suitable for engagement with a YDP, was €650,000 in 2026. Targeted YDPs require, on average, 50% more funding as compared to a standard YDP, due to their more intensive programmes and provision of wraparound supports.

The government has fulfilled the the commitment in the Youth Justice Strategy to ensure the full availability of Youth Diversion Projects throughout the Irish State. Funding for Youth Diversion Projects in 2027 will be allocated through the normal budgetary cycle.

The following table outlines the number of YDPs and TYDPs by county by county.

The location of 2 TYDPs are confidential to protect the young people engaged with the TYDPs which disrupt the grooming of children into network-related criminal activity by adults.