'Going the Distance': An Evaluation of Cloyne Diocesan Youth Services Mobile Garda Youth Diversion Project

Leahy, Pat; Buckley, Margaret

'Going the Distance': An Evaluation of Cloyne Diocesan Youth Services Mobile Garda Youth Diversion Project

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Leahy,_P._&_Buckley,_M._(2020)_'Going_the_Distance'_-_An_Evaluation_of_Cloyne_Diocesan_Youth_Services_Mobile_Garda_Youth_Diversion_Project.pdf(1.19 MB)

Published Version

Date

2020-03

Authors

Leahy, Pat

Buckley, Margaret

Publisher

Cloyne Diocesan Youth Services, Ltd.

Abstract

Cloyne Diocesan Youth Services (CDYS) are a regional youth organisation and a member region of Youth Work Ireland (YWI) based in County Cork. CDYS provide a range of service to young people including youth clubs, targeted youth projects and Local Training Initiatives. CDYS have successfully operated Garda Youth Diversion Projects in Cobh (established 2002) and Mallow (established 2007) for a number of years. In so doing they have built a solid base of professional expertise and established excellent linkages with the Juvenile Liaison Officers (JLO) from An Garda Síochána and relevant agencies such as the schools. In 2017, CDYS with the support of An Garda Síochána applied to the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS) to provide a ‘Mobile Garda Youth Diversion Project’ (MGYDP) in County Cork to cater for the hitherto unmet needs of the young people in Cork North Garda Division (Northern and Eastern areas) by providing intense support and intervention to high risk young people (CDYS, 2017). At the time it was (conservatively) estimated that CDYS could not work with 50 to 60 young people who would benefit from engagement with a diversion project. The mobile initiative would rectify this situation. This application was successful, and the project commenced operations in September 2017. In July 2019 this research study was contracted to evaluate the project’s performance to date.

Keywords

Cloyne Diocesan Youth Services , Garda Youth Diversion Projects , Cobh , Mallow

Citation

Leahy, P. and Buckley, M. (2020) 'Going the Distance': An Evaluation of Cloyne Diocesan Youth Services Mobile Garda Youth Diversion Project. Mallow: Cloyne Diocesan Youth Services, Ltd, pp. 1-40.