Pilot interventions planned to tackle grooming of children into drugs trade

Cross-departmental discussion is underway to identify common risk factors among young people, and areas where interventions could be made 

The issue of grooming has been raised at the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use and is likely to feature again at its September meeting. Stock picture: PA

Government departments and agencies are examining possible pilot interventions to tackle grooming of young people into the drugs trade.

The strategic action plan of the Government’s National Drugs Strategy (NDS) said that “cross-departmental discussion” is underway to identify common risk factors among young people, and potential areas where interventions could be made.

The action plan, covering 2023-2024, said the next stage is the development of a plan to tackle the problem and draw up “possible pilot options”.

Once this is done, it said the intervention plan will “commence”.

The Department of Justice and An Garda Síochána are the lead agencies in the discussions, drawing on a key action in the current NDS, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017-2025.

The issue of grooming has been raised at the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use and is likely to feature again at its September meeting.

The Government gave the green light last January to the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023.

This bill, which built on a previous government bill in 2020, creates a specific offence where an adult “compels, coerces, induces or invites” a child to engage in crime.

The strategic action plan also contains an action to examine and develop policy on “alternatives to coercive sanctions”, which is a central objective of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use.

The Department of Health is looking at current initiatives — such as the adult caution scheme and court diversion — and will draw up a report for the NDS national oversight committee.

The action plan follows the publication last October of a review of the NDS, which found that progress of the Government’s health diversion programme for people caught in possession of drugs was “slow” and that progress on actions on educating young people about drugs was also “slow”.

The review found that local drug and alcohol task forces believe they had become “invisible” within the NDS and wanted to be more involved in the actions.

Next week, the Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force Network is due to meet to highlight what they say is the “unbearable pressure” task forces are under.

The network says it is trying to deal with increasing demand on its services while continuing to survive on funding that has dropped 5% since 2012.