Youth advocacy group: Intervention can change behaviour

Some 82% of children with difficult or challenging behaviour who received support from a youth advocacy programme last year demonstrated an improvement in behaviour, the group's report for 2011 says today.

Youth Advocates Programme (YAP) Ireland provided intensive support to around 475 young people aged between 10 and 18 last year, preventing them from being placed in residential care or custody.

The programme is available in 12 counties across the country. YAP boss Siobhan O'Dwyer said there were plans to expand into the Midlands and Wicklow from Dublin.

"We're continuing to grow because of the recognition that young people and families need intensive support at certain times in their lives," she said.

"Cost-effective services like YAP Ireland which work with young people and families, can achieve very good outcomes for those young people."