Almost a third of child offenders not suitable for youth diversion programmes

A method of restorative justice can be provided through the Probation Service, with referrals for family conferences under Section 78 of the Children Act via the Children's Court.

The number of children who committed offences but who were deemed unsuitable for Garda diversion programmes jumped 29% in a year, according to a new report.

The latest annual report of the committee appointed to monitor the effectiveness of the Garda Youth Diversion Programme shows there were 18,567 referrals to the programme in 2019 – up 12.6% on the referrals in 2018.