Justice Minister Naomi Long has officially opened the new headquarters of the Youth Justice Agency in Belfast.
The Youth Justice Agency (YJA) works with 10-17 year olds who have offended or are at serious risk of offending to help them address their offending behaviour, divert them from crime and assist their integration into the community.
The new facilities have been developed to create a safe, inclusive and trauma centred environment for young people, families and victims.
They include a designated reception area, additional training rooms, a functioning kitchen to facilitate reparative and development opportunities for young people, and multi-sensory rooms for children with neurodivergent and sensory processing needs.
Ms Long said the agency plays an important role in keeping young people out of the criminal justice system.
“The Youth Justice Agency plays an important role in diverting young people from the formal youth justice system, and in the delivery of interventions to address offending behaviour, raising victim awareness and in reducing the risk of reoffending,” Ms Long said.
“These new multi-functional offices will support their dynamic business needs and allow staff to increase their engagement, identify unmet needs and promote positive and sustainable relationships with children and young people.”
“While the physical environment is important in the delivery of services, the true strength of the agency lies in the professional, highly skilled and experienced staff working within the Belfast Area Team. Having met many of them today I can say they are highly motivated and deliver the highest level of care for the children, families, carers and victims who they work with.”
The launch of the new headquarters came as the YJA released its annual impact report, which showed that the agency had dealt with around 2,500 young people in custody and the community.
