• About Us
  • Introduction
  • Minister for Children and Youth Affairs
  • National Children's Strategy 2000 - 2010
  • Location of Offices
  • Contact us
  • State Board Vacancies
• Childcare
  • What we do
  • Free Pre-School year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme
  • Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme
  • Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People
  • Childcare Regulations
  • Childminders
  • City/County Childcare Committees
  • National Childcare Organisations
  • FAQ
  • National Childcare Investment Programme
  • Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme
  • Early Childcare Supplement
  • Childcare Initiatives
• Child and Youth Participation
  • What we do
  • Dáil na nÓg
  • Comhairle na nÓg
  • Children and Young People's Forum
  • Student Councils
  • Participation Initiatives
  • FAQ
• Child Welfare and Protection
  • What We Do
  • Children First - Child Protection Guidelines
  • Family Support
  • The Agenda for Children's Services
  • Residential Care High Support & Special Care Services
  • Youth Homelessness
  • Statistics
  • Foster Care
  • FAQ
• Early Years Education
  • What we do
  • Síolta
  • Workforce Development Plan
  • Targeted Early Years Interventions
  • What's New
• Irish Youth Justice Service
  • Introduction
  • Overview of Irish Youth Justice Service
  • Key Features of the Youth Justice System
  • Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme and Garda Youth Diversion Projects
  • Community Sanctions and Restorative Justice
  • Children Detention Schools
  • Other Measures
  • National Youth Justice Strategy
  • FAQ
• Legislation
  • Constitutional Referendum on Children
  • Legislation
• Adoption
• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• International Developments
  • L'Europe de L'Enfance
  • Council of Europe
  • European Commission Strategy to Promote & Safeguard Rights of Child
  • North-South Co-operation
• Children and Young People's Services Development
  • National Play Policy
  • National Recreation Policy
  • Prevention and Early Intervention Programme
  • National Children's Strategy Implementation Group
  • The Young People's Facilities & Services Fund
  • Working Together for Children - Children Services Committees
• Research
  • What we do
  • Growing Up in Ireland
  • Children's Funded Research Programme
  • Measuring Child Well Being
  • Research Placement Programme
  • Research Scholarship Programme
  • FAQ
• Youth Affairs
  • What's New
  • What We Do
  • What is Youth Work?
  • Quality Standards Framework Initiative for the youth work sector
  • Policies and Legislation
  • Funding Programmes, Initiatives & Location of Projects
  • Youth Exchange / Transnational Programmes
  • Gaisce - The President's Award Scheme
• childrensdatabase.ie
• Children's Database

Community Sanctions and Restorative Justice

The Children Court

There is a special Court for children who are in trouble with the law and who are being charged with a crime.  The Children Court is where a Judge listens to both sides about what happened and decides what happens next. 

The Children’s Courts are held in the courtrooms where ordinary sittings of the District Court are held except in Dublin which has a dedicated Children Court.  The sittings are held, at different times to those for adults who have to come to the District Court.

The Children Court gives special attention to helping children understand what it going on.  If the parents or guardian cannot afford to pay a solicitor, the Court can offer legal aid for the child.

If you require more information regarding the Courts please visit their website here.

Young Persons Probation

The Young Persons Probation (YPP) is the Division of the Probation Service that works with young people.  The YPP carries out, community sanctions, which can be ordered by the Court under the Children Act 2001.

Community sanctions

If a child has been to Court and convicted of a crime, then he/she may receive a sanction which allows him/her to stay in school and in their community. This is called a community sanction and can be used instead of detention.

Community sanctions have to address the consequences of the actions of the child and, in some cases, they can be used to help strengthen relationships in the family. The sanctions include a range of measures, such as community service, intensive supervision, mentoring and restorative justice.

If a community sanction is being used, the child will be told why it is being used and what he/she has to do. The parents, or guardians, are expected to support and encourage the child to complete the sanction and to stay out of trouble in the future.

There are 10 community sanctions available to the Courts, namely:

• Community Service Order: A child of 16 or 17 years of age agrees to complete unpaid work for a set total number of hours.
•  Day Centre Order: A child is to go to a centre at set times and, as part of the order, to take part in a programme of activities.
•  Probation Order: This places a child under the supervision of the Probation Service for a period during which time the child must meet certain conditions which are set by the Court.
•  Training or Activities Order: A child has to take part in and complete a programme of training or similar activity. The programme should help the child learn positive social values.
•  Intensive Supervision Order: A child is placed under the supervision of a named probation officer and has to attend a programme of education, training or treatment as part of their time under supervision.
• Residential Supervision Order: This is where a child is to live in a suitable hostel. The hostel is to be close to where they normally live, attend school or go to work. 
• A Suitable Person (care and supervision) Order: With the agreement of the child’s parents or guardian, the child is placed in the care of a suitable adult.
• A Mentor (family support) Order: A person is assigned to help, advise and support the child and his/her family in trying to stop the child from committing further offences.
• A Restriction of Movement Order: This requires a child to stay away from certain places and to be at a specific address between 7pm and 6am each day.
• A Dual Order: This combines a Restriction of Movement Order with either supervision by a probation officer or attendance at a day centre.

Restorative Justice Programmes

A way for a child to address the consequences of his/her actions is to apologise to the victim. In this process, the victim can often speak directly to the child about the hurt and harm that they have caused.  In some cases, there is an agreement on a way that the child can compensate the victim or do something positive for the community. 

Restorative justice was introduced for the first time in the Children Act 2001.  There are two restorative justice initiatives provided for in the Act:

• A restorative conference or restorative caution included in the Garda Juvenile Diversion Programme
• A Court-ordered restorative justice conference delivered through the Probation Service.