A specially trained panel of judges will be established to adjudicate on cases involving children in conflict with the law, under a package of youth justice reforms to be announced today.
The announcement will also include more resources to tackle offending behaviour by children through welfare-oriented approaches such as community sanctions, the appointment of more Garda juvenile liaison officers and increased resources for the probation service.
Overall, the multimillion-euro package, agreed by the Cabinet yesterday, will finally provide sufficient resources to implement most of the Children's Act (2001) and ensure detention is a measure of last resort for young offenders.
The youth justice system has been the subject of repeated criticism by children's groups for not being able to offer meaningful alternatives to young people which could help divert them away from crime.
Minister for Children Brian Lenihan is due to announce the new youth justice reform package at a press conference in Government Buildings today.
The move to appoint a panel of specially trained judges reflects the need for greater expertise in dealing with children's issues.
The number of judges sitting in the Children's Court has led to inconsistencies in the treatment of cases and the growth of "judge shopping" by young offenders anxious to avoid a harsh sentence.
The failure by some judges to engage with young offenders by using age-appropriate language or explaining bail conditions has also been identified as a major problem.
In a significant move, judges will have the power to divert offending children out of the criminal justice system and into the welfare system.
This will have major implications for the already over-stretched Health Service Executive (HSE), which will have to deal with much greater numbers of children at risk.
Under this move, a judge may order the HSE to convene a family welfare conference for the child. This is a process to help families in crisis come up with a plan and solution where there are concerns for a child or young person, with the support of family members and health authorities.
Campaigners have said the flaws in the system include a lack of trained judges and a failure to provide resources for community-based sanctions for children and other welfare-oriented services.
Today's announcement is likely to be welcomed by children's rights groups which have lobbied for these measures for several years.
