1. These rules may be cited as the Juvenile Justice Centre Rules (Northern Ireland) 2008 and shall come into operation on 12th November 2008.
2. In these rules the following expressions have the meanings hereby assigned to them:—
“centre” means a juvenile justice centre provided under Article 51 of the Order;
“chaplain” means a minister of any denomination approved by the director;
“Chief Constable” has the same meaning as in section 77 (1) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000(1);
“DHSSPS” means the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety;
“director” means the person for the time being having the management or control of a centre;
“doctor” means a registered medical practitioner who provides primary services;
“education” means all education including vocational training, physical education, programmes and activities designed to tackle offending behaviour;
“food” includes drink;
“healthcare officer” means a member of the medical and nursing professions employed in a centre;
“inspector” means any authorised person exercising his powers under Article 55 of the Order;
“legal adviser” means, in relation to a child, the child’s counsel or solicitor and includes an accredited clerk acting on behalf of a solicitor;
“the Order” means the Criminal Justice (Children) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998;
“parent” includes the legal guardian or authority who has for the time being responsibility for the child;
“police officer” has the same meaning as in section 77 (1) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000;
“school” includes other educational alternatives;
“single separation” means a child being locked in a room on his own, other than in his own bedroom at normal bedtime;
“staff” means staff employed in a centre.
3. The Juvenile Justice Centre Rules (Northern Ireland) 1999(2) are revoked.
4.—(1) The aims of a centre are to:—
(a)protect the public by accommodating children ordered to be detained therein in a safe, secure and caring environment; and
(b)work to reintegrate children into the community.
(2) These aims shall be achieved having regard to the following principles:—
(a)children shall be held in a safe, secure and caring environment which promotes their health, well-being and best interests;
(b)a centre shall provide a positive and purposeful environment offering high standards of education and programmes to support learning, challenge offending behaviour and promote active citizenship;
(c)children and their families shall be treated fairly, equitably and with dignity and respect, and children and their families shall be encouraged and enabled to contribute to decisions which affect them;
(d)a centre shall work to develop and maintain links with family, school and other sources of support to assist the reintegration of the children into the community;
(e)children shall retain all rights and entitlements except those limited as a consequence of their detention in a centre;
(f)a centre shall work in partnership with other statutory or voluntary agencies and, in particular, those responsible for a child’s supervision under a juvenile justice centre order;
(g)a centre shall have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial or ethnic group, age, marital status or sexual orientation, between male and female generally, between persons with a disability and persons without; and between persons with dependants and persons without;
(h)due regard shall be paid to the privacy of the children consistent with safety, security and communal living.
(3) These principles, taken together, are intended as a guide to the interpretation and application of these rules.
(4) A copy of these rules shall be made available and accessible to each child committed to a centre on remand or detained in a centre under a juvenile justice centre order and to the parent of such a child.
(5) A child friendly version of these rules shall be included as part of the information provided under rule 11.
(6) A statement of the aims in this rule and how they are to be achieved shall be prepared and displayed in a centre and shall be made available on request.
5. Where there is an emergency affecting the safe and secure operation of a centre the Secretary of State may direct that these rules shall only have effect to the extent consistent with action necessary to deal with that emergency.