PARENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF PARTICIPATING IN DIVERSION PROGRAMMES FOR CHILDREN IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW

Abstract

A study of parental involvement in their children’s diversion programmes has been a gap in both practice and research. This article focuses on the parents’ experiences in the implementation of diversion programmes for children in conflict with the law. This was an exploratory, descriptive, contextual and phenomenological study with a qualitative approach. A risk-need responsivity model guided the study. Purposive sampling was used. Data collection was done through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews, and data were analysed through thematic content and verified using Lincoln and Guba’s model. Ethical considerations were taken into account throughout this study. The study established that many challenges facing parents affected their involvement in their children’s diversion programmes.