National youth program

Measure 6. DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT AND 
ALTERNATIVE SANCTIONS FOR UNDERAGE OFFENDERS
IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES:
DURATION OF 
IMPLEMENTATION:
6.1. To monitor and support systematically development and efficient 
organization of the service for out-of-court settlements for young offenders 
accessible throughout the Republic of Croatia.
2009 and ongoing
6.2. To monitor and support systematically the development and efficient 
implementation of non-institutional measures for young offenders in the 
Republic of Croatia.
2009 and ongoing

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6.3. To ensure conditions for implementation of special obligations from 
the Juvenile Courts Act by including young offenders in utility work and by 
attending youth counselling programs.
2009 and ongoing
CARRIER:
6.1. Ministry of Justice
6.2. Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
6.3. Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
COLLABORATORS IN THE 
IMPLEMENTATION:
social welfare centers
civil society organizations and institutions dealing with youth
FUNDING:
6.1. Ministry of Justice
6.2. Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
6.3. Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
REQUIRED FUNDING:
resources from regular activities of state administration bodies
IMPLEMENTATION 
INDICATORS:
− the system of services for out-of-court settlements developed
− the number of stipulated non-institutional measures

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4. HEALTHCARE AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
4.1. Analysis of youth health condition
Social changes that significantly influence the health of overall population also influence 
the change in the ‘’health image’’ of youth population. Significant place among health 
difficulties of youth today is taken by the disorders and diseases related to certain 
behaviours, habits and lifestyles (excessive alcohol consumption, smoking tobacco, taking 
psychoactive drugs, risky sexual behaviour and sexually transmitted diseases, inadequate 
physical activity, quality of meals, eating disorders and consequences of traffic accidents), 
and psychosocial problems (suicides and mental disorders), while, unlike in many European 
countries, significantly less present is the problem of ‘‘children’s’’ infectious diseases (due 
to the long-term and consistent immunization). However, a significant problem here are 
injuries and deaths caused by easily accessible firearms and mines and explosive substances 
left after the war.
From the healthcare point of view, youth groups aged from 15 to 19 and 20 to 29 significantly 
differ according to their biological and sociological characteristics. Young people from 15 
to 19 years of age are the group still in the period of growth and development, physical 
as well as psychological. The great majority of them is in the process of organized system 
of upbringing and education and is linked to their families. The group of young people 
from 20 to 29 years of age is in the process of further education, work or in search of work, 
gaining economic independence and founding of their own families. Information which 
make part of the health indicators about health condition of the population in Croatia also 
point to differences between these groups.
Youth today face problems and requirements different from those for which special 
services, providing healthcare for students, were established earlier. Healthcare services, 
parents, school, families and community today face chronic diseases, risky behaviours 
and behavioural disorders, inappropriate eating habits and eating disorders, physical (in)
activity, problems of learning, education, employment, mental health disorders, risky 
sexual behaviours, neglecting and abuse, issues of safety and injuries, as well as youth with 
special needs.
Among diseases and disorders, regarding which young people mainly search help in primary 
healthcare dispensaries, respiratory diseases prevail (around 580,000 illnesses a year in the 
group of 7–19 years of age). The prevalence of these diseases is emphasized by the fact 
that on average, every patient gets ill several times a year. Among them, the most frequent 
are common colds, bronchitis, flu and pneumonia. They are followed by infectious and 
parasitic diseases, and most common among them are the infectious diseases of digestive 
system, especially during summer months. The occurrence of allergic diseases, manifested 
as respiratory system allergies, or skin allergies has been more frequent in recent years.
Hospital treatment of school age children is most often necessary for respiratory diseases, 
among them most often for chronic diseases of tonsils and adenoids. They are followed 
by hospitalizations due to injuries which are more often as the age increases (especially 

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with boys). Among them, the most frequent are fractures of limbs and head injuries, often 
resulting from traffic accidents.
Mortality among young people is low. In the age from 15 to 34, the main causes of death 
are road traffic accidents, suicides and malignant diseases.
Preventive healthcare of youth and regular students is ensured by School Medicine 
Services which are active within county Public Health Institutes. In this way, preventive and 
curative care is ensured for every pupil, making the complete system accessible, available, 
directed to environments comprising school and family and ensuring both population and 
individual approach.
In the school year 2006/2007, systematic check-ups covered 164,540 elementary and high 
school pupils and 18.034 students. According to the check-up findings, 22% of elementary 
school and 28% of high school pupils have improper posture, and the prevalence of more 
significant foot deformations is 36% for males and 32% for females in elementary schools. 
Structural deformations of spine are more common with girls. In elementary schools, 
scoliosis is registered with 2.7% of boys and 4.6% of girls, in high schools with 5.2% of boys 
and 9.3% of girls. Refraction difficulties were found with 14% of elementary school and 19% 
of high school pupils. There are 3% of boys 1% of girls in high schools who have high blood 
pressure. In elementary schools we find 7% of boys and 3% of girls with dyslalia.
Specific parts of preventive student healthcare program, which receive special attention, 
are health education and counselling work. Counselling centers for children and youth 
where parents and teachers may find help in solving most common problems related to 
growing up and health, are organized as special forms of work and the number of visits to 
counselling centers has been increasing constantly. In high school, the number of visits to 
counselling centers increased from 18,196 in 1998 to 43,450 visits during this school year. 
This indicates that exactly this form of work was necessary and missing in the system. In 
children and youth counselling centers within school medicine services, for the population 
of high school pupils, visits relate to chronic diseases (34%) and more often include 
problems and requests for advice regarding reproductive health and sexually transmitted 
infections (23%), learning (16%), risky behaviour (13%) and mental health (15%).
In Croatia, there is a long and successful organization of healthcare for school children, 
students and youth. The bases for changes for providing higher quality healthcare for youth 
should derive from appropriate norms and standards, development of multidisciplinary 
teams, expert work, education, development of reference centres, and harmonization of 
programs of measures for students and youth, and continuous expert work, education of 
professionals and other co-workers.