sustainable support system for the prevention of juvenile offences

Building a Support System to Prevent Juvenile Delinquency

Ilona Kronberga,Director of the Project

Madonas novada dome

Saldus novada dome

Cēsu novada dome Starptautiskais bērnu tiesību institūts

(Siona, Šveice)

Why this project is important?

In recent years, our National child crime prevention policy was changed – wider society understands, that the harsh penalties and prison sentences is not right way to solve the problems of child crime. Therefore we pay our attention to find new approaches - to detect and prevent more early child behavior problems, by ensuring that they will never come in contact with prison.

…one of the Latvian prisons a few years ago

The problem which should be resolved

We don`t have a complex approach to work with children of social risk groups in Latvia.

The objective of this project is

to reduce risks of exclusion for children with deviations in social behaviour and to create a safe environment for a successful development for them.

The target group includes 240 children and young people of social risk groups and 9 senior persons.

The project is running in three regions of Latvia: Madona, Saldus and Cēsis in cooperation with local municipalities, and project partners

from Switzerland.

Project’s activities envisageto establish a Model of Inter-institutional

Cooperation in each of the municipalities, including Regional working groups which will perform the process of selection of children and young people, and organise for them useful and healthy recreational activities: sports, tourism events, art activities, basic education about principles of business and military service.

(1) The project will result in:

• Creating of a sustainable support system for the prevention of juvenile offences suitable for the specific needs of various regions of Latvia;

• Publishing of a monitoring report, compiling lessons learned and drawing on the Swiss experience;

(2) The project will result in:

• Philosophy of change in working with children of social risk groups towards a supportive and restorative approach instead of punitive approach;

• developing of a Interinstitutional

cooperation model *.

*some explanations…A number of state and municipal institutions in Latvia are engaged with

juveniles, who have become offenders, or who are at risk of becoming offenders. These institutions – the police (State and Municipal), prosecutors, courts, detention centres, probations services, NGO`s and local governments – do not work in a coordinated manner. Each institution has its own narrow focus, but is poorly informed about other institutions’ work and role in juvenile justice.

These institutions often have different interpretations of the application of children’s rights to juvenile offenders, and they often give only superficial attention to ensuring respect for these rights. The lack of a systemic approach (lack of Interinstitutional cooperation model) and the lack of knowledge about the goals of juvenile justice severely hampers effective work with juvenile offenders, often resulting in avoidable recidivism.

What has been done:1) In three regions Inter Institutional Cooperation

models were created ;2) Project assistants and coordinators in regions

regularly hold Territorial working group meetings;

3) There have been 120 children involved in the first eight months in the project based activities;

4) For every minor who will be probably included in the Project activities Territorial working groups carry out risk and need assessment.

1) Inter Institutional Cooperation models in three regions

In January and February we started a project with three introductory seminars;

Despite that, experts from the regions were involved in the preparing stage of the project, it was very important to gather people and explain to them the desired course of the project, the principles of working with children;

When you start a new Project, colleagues support is very important.

How Inter Institutional Cooperation models in three regions Cēsis , Madona and Saldus were

started

Start-up workshops Region - Cēsis

Start-up workshops Region - Madona

Start-up workshops Region - Saldus

2) Territorial working group meetings are regularly held

Territorial Working Group tasks are:To create on common principles-based model for

Inter Institutional Cooperation among local institution which are engaged with minors who have behavior problems;

To organize in each municipality for children with behavioral problems: (a) selection, to include them in project activities (2x8 month for 2x40 minors); (b) risk-needs assessments to involve them in activities which they need.

3) How does youth engage in project activities

The first signs that a child has problems Territorial Working Group receives from the schools, social services, probation, police or the court / prosecutor.

A child with his/her parents are invited to the Territorial Working Group, discussions are ongoing to decide on actions that would improve the behavior of .

Risks are assessed and, if necessary, drawn up in an individual child's behavior plan. At this moment child and his/her parents are suggested to engage in project activities (aaccording to the Catalog of a Project Activities ).

Project activities

Project activitiesvery successful event in Saldus, meeting with local fire brigade

Project activitiesmeeting with local fire brigade

Project activities Children love hiking and cooking

Project activities The simple things are important - how to knot a tie?

Project activities ...and cosmetics are important too

Project activities:Cooperation with partners, including Swiss partners'

contribution

From the Swiss Institute for Children's Rights (our partner), we are hope to gain:

a) aggregate information on good practice in the field of juvenile delinquency and early crime prevention in Swiss Confederation (20 pages) and

b)a presentation of the evaluation of the project results - Assessment of the Project Monitoring Report's (a Final event – Conference which will be held on march, 2012).

Steps to ensure the sustainability of project outcomes

From this project, the municipalities will not only gain experience, but they will have created their own tools:

1. Inter-Institutional cooperation model for their own region. This model is unique, tailored for the specific region needs;

2. Risk and Need Assessment, based on what, is being drawn up a preliminary plan of activities with any child;

3. Catalog of Project Activities, this is not a book, but a list of measures that are available to county children;

4. Methodological recommendations how to organize for actions and activities for children in different regions.

Thank you for your attention!

Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUSResearcher, Lawyer

Ilona KronbergaPh.28351711

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

sustainable support system for the prevention of juvenile offences

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