National Youth Work Development Plan 2003-2007

Irish society today is dramatically different from the one in which youth work services were first provided on a spontaneous and philanthropic basis more than one hundred years ago. At no time has the process of change been more striking than in the last ten to fifteen years. At least four major types of recent change, all clearly interrelated, can be identified: economic, political, technological and cultural. A further important aspect of cultural change in Ireland has been the continuing trend towards urbanisation, and the corresponding impact, largely negative, on rural communities. Particularly significant in the context of a Development Plan for Youth Work is the migration of young people away from rural areas to study or work, with most of them unlikely to return on a permanent basis. This, along with the rapid reduction in farm holdings and other changes in the countryside, has profound sociological and psychological repercussions for rural Ireland and indeed for Irish society as a whole. For young people living in rural areas the challenge is to provide youth work opportunities which are specially tailored to their needs and which take account of the ways in which their circumstances (e.g. regarding transport and access) are different from those of their urban peers

Sex, drugs and chronic illness: health behaviours among chronically ill youth.

BACKGROUND: A growing body of literature indicates that adolescents with chronic conditions are as likely, or more likely, to take risky behaviours than their healthy peers. The objective of this research was to assess whether adolescents with chronic illness in Catalonia differ from their healthy peers in risk-taking behaviour. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Catalonia Adolescent Health database, a survey including a random school-based sample of 6952 young people, aged 14-19 years. The index group (IG) included 665 adolescents (450 females) reporting several chronic conditions. The comparison group (CG) comprised 6287 healthy adolescents (3306 females). Personal, family and school-related variables were analysed to ensure comparability between groups. Sexual behaviour, drug use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and synthetic drugs) and perception of drug use among peers and in school were compared. Analysis was carried out separately by gender. chi-square, Fisher's and Student's tests were used to compare categorical and continuous variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of chronic conditions was 9.6%, with females showing a higher prevalence than males. The IG showed similar or higher rates of sexual intercourse and risky sexual behaviour. For most studied drugs, IG males reported slightly lower rates of use than CG males, while IG females showed higher rates for every drug studied. No differences were found in the perceptions of drug use among peers or in their school. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to previous research, chronically ill adolescents in our sample are as likely, or more likely, to take risky behaviours than their healthy counterparts and should receive the same anticipatory guidance.

La reincidència en el delicte en la justícia de menors

El present estudi aporta dades concretes i actualitzades de la reincidència en el delicte que protagonitzen els joves infractors que han entrat en el circuit de la justícia de menors en l’àmbit territorial de Catalunya, després de l’entrada en vigor de la Llei Orgànica 5/2000, que regula la responsabilitat penal dels menors. L'estudi fa el seguiment de 2.903 menors del total de 3.728 que van finalitzar una intervenció de la Direcció General de Justícia Juvenil l’any 2002 i els segueix fins el desembre de 2004, per tal de saber si han reincidit en el delicte, ja sigui com a jove o com adult. La recerca aporta també, entre moltes altres dades, les diferents taxes de reincidència, el perfil del reincident i del no-reincident i altres característiques de la reincidència i del propi delicte. Així mateix, tracta el perfil detallat tant de les noies com dels estrangers, les característiques dels quals quedaven diluïdes fins ara en tots els estudis, pel fet de formar part de col•lectius minoritaris dins del context dels joves infractors

La reincidencia en el delito en la justicia de menores

Esta investigación recoge las características más destacadas de los jóvenes infractores que han pasado por la Dirección General de Justicia Juvenil a lo largo del 2002 y les hace seguimiento hasta diciembre de 2004 para ver si han reincidido en le delito. También estudia específicamente a chicas y extranjeros, para tener datos significativos de dos colectivos minoritarios pero poco estudiados en el contexto de los jóvenes infractores

Assessment of youth-friendly health care: a systematic review of indicators drawn from young people's perspectives.

PURPOSE: To review the literature on young people's perspectives on health care with a view to defining domains and indicators of youth-friendly care. METHODS: Three bibliographic databases were searched to identify studies that purportedly measured young people's perspectives on health care. Each study was assessed to identify the constructs, domains, and indicators of adolescent-friendly health care. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies were identified: 15 used quantitative methods, six used qualitative methods and one used mixed methodology. Eight domains stood out as central to young people's positive experience of care. These were: accessibility of health care; staff attitude; communication; medical competency; guideline-driven care; age appropriate environments; youth involvement in health care; and health outcomes. Staff attitudes, which included notions of respect and friendliness, appeared universally applicable, whereas other domains, such as an appropriate environment including cleanliness, were more specific to particular contexts. CONCLUSION: These eight domains provide a practical framework for assessing how well services are engaging young people. Measures of youth-friendly health care should address universally applicable indicators of youth-friendly care and may benefit from additional questions that are specific to the local health setting.

Serving Iowa Youth and Families with a Youth Development Approach : JJDP Act Formula Grant Application and Three-Year Comprehensive Plan

This report is Iowa’s Three-Year Plan, which serves as the application for federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act formula grant funding (JJDP Act). The Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning (CJJP) wrote Iowa’s Three-Year Plan. CJJP is the state agency responsible for administering the JJDP Act in Iowa. Federal officials refer to state administering agencies as the state planning agency (SPA). The Plan was developed and approved by Iowa’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Council. That Council assists with administration of the JJDP Act, and also provides guidance and direction to the SPA, the Governor and the legislature regarding juvenile justice issues in Iowa. Federal officials refer to such state level groups as state advisory groups (SAG’s). The acronyms SPA and SAG are used through this report.

Providing Gender-Specific Services for Adolescent Female Offenders: Guidelines & Resources, January 1999

Information of Gender-Specific Services for Adolescent Female Offenders produced by the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women.

5B Judicial District Youth Services, June 30, 2001 & June 30, 2002

Other Audit Reports

5B Judicial District Youth Services, June 30, 2002 & 2003

Other Audit Reports - Independent Auditor's Reports, Financial Statements, Schedule of Findings

5B Judicial District Youth Services, June 30, 2001 & June 30, 2002

Other Audit Reports

Iowa Juvenile Crime Prevention Community Grant Fund Outcomes Report and FY 2002 Juvenile Justice Youth Development Program Summary, 2002

This document contains two related, but separate reports. The Juvenile Crime Prevention Community Grant Fund Outcomes Report is a summary of outcomes from services and activities funded through the Juvenile Crime Prevention Community Grant Fund in FY2001. The Juvenile Justice Youth Development Program Summary describes Iowa communities current prevention and sanction programs supported with funding from the Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning (CJJP) during FY2002.