Juvenile justice - Intervention programme welcome

IN what only can be seen as an important initiative in the area of juvenile justice, Minister for Children Brian Lenihan will on Monday commit the Government to major funding for a programme on prevention and early intervention for children in areas of severe disadvantage.

Coming in the wake of a series in this newspaper this week highlighting what is needed in the area of juvenile justice, the minister’s planned announcement is timely.

Importantly, the programme will introduce and evaluate a range of integrated interventions for children and their families, and test whether they make a positive difference to children.

The programme could prove to be a crucial development because if the projects are successful, the results may provide the basis for improved and more effective services and policies for children.

There are, obviously, no simple solutions but it is at least encouraging that the minister is committed to delivering a system that both addresses the needs of young people and also protects society from the worst excesses of their behaviour.