Trends and tensions in the professionalization of youth work

Traditions and understandings of ‘youth work’ vary from one country and culture to another, and an exact equivalent of the term does not even exist in many languages. It is nonetheless true that, if it is understood broadly as informal and non-formal educational and developmental work with young people, then in a number of countries in Europe and in other parts of the world  ‘youth work’ has undergone significant processes of professionalization in recent years. These include developments relating to the nature and extent of remunerated employment, the education and training of practitioners, legislative and statutory basis for services, the establishment of ethical guidelines and codes of practice, the creation of professional associations, the growth of youth work research and scholarship, and so on. Such developments tend to – or at least have the potential to -enhance the status of youth work as a profession. At the same time, a number of features of contemporary society - greater public scepticism regarding ‘professionals’ of all kinds, heightened awareness (at least in some countries) of child protection and safeguarding issues, economic retrenchment and an emphasis on efficiencies, ‘value for money’, and measurable outcomes – mean that for many youth workers the exercise of judgement and discretion (long held as a hallmark of professionalism) has been undermined. These contrasting trends are frequently at play within the same countries and practice contexts. In the light of this, and drawing on the insights of practitioners themselves, this paper suggests that youth work is at a genuinely critical juncture in its development and faces the challenge (but also the opportunity) of defining what kind of profession it is and wants to be in the 21^st century. In doing so, clarification and affirmation of its value base – what it ‘professes’ – will be a central task.