The Future - The Vision for the Future
A number of key social policy agendas are likely to impact upon
detached youth work in the next few years. Foremost among these are Social
Inclusion and Neighbourhood Renewal. They provide a focus for detached youth
work, particularly with regard to engaging all young people in learning. The
Connexions Service and Best Value processes will, inevitably, introduce a
systemised review of the contribution detached youth workers make to achieve
these agendas. Furthermore, the drive toward 'joined-up thinking' and 'joined-up
doing' will see an increased need to understand the work of other professionals
and how detached youth work contributes to a more holistic support service for
young people.
It is within this context that The Federation for Detached Youth Work (FDYW) believes a vision statement is necessary.
The FDYW must become increasingly able to communicate across diverse professional boundaries. Our work with, for example, Social Workers and Youth Offending Teams must complement the activities of these professionals without compromising the crucial role detached youth work makes in working with and advocating on behalf of young people. As such, the FDYW must take on an increasingly educative role in regard to its work in partnership with others and effectively articulate 'what detached youth work is all about'.
This work needs to take place at all levels, across a range of professional boundaries and engage with local, regional and national political structures. Those representing the FDYW will, necessarily, need to enthuse others, promote detached youth work and remain principled to its value-base. They must encourage and support local authorities efforts to build broad-based, grass roots structures in which the roles of detached youth workers and the way in which their work in relation to others is made explicit.
The FDYW must acknowledge that contemporary funding regimes necessitate evidenced-based outputs and support workers in their efforts to validate and promote their work accordingly. This should not detract from the FDYW's commitment to ensure qualitative assessments of work are of equal value. In this way, a more organised, rational and less sentimental system of evaluation can embrace the passion and vocational aspects of detached youth work. Expressing not only the impact and outcomes, but also the inputs consistent with good detached youth work will add value to established process-oriented assessment. Efforts will be made to align these indicators with OFSTED criterion whilst, at the same time, seeking to influence the Inspectorate's vision of what constitutes 'quality' in detached youth work. The FDYW acknowledges that in order to influence assessment and inspection framework it must be fully involved in associated debate and, where necessary, be proactive in getting its voice heard.
It seems clear that achieving this cultural shift will, for many, require some soul-searching. The FDYW believes this can be a positive process in which all concerned develop their skills and confidence in debating and engaging in dialogue not only with peers but also with others outside the service. The innovation and risk-taking implicit in making this process worthwhile will enable detached youth workers to cross professional boundaries – something already done by many colleagues who are now working in formal education or within the multi-disciplinary environments of Youth Offending and Community Safety. In this way, detached youth work will continue to play its part at the leading edge of work with young people, much of it in new and increasingly radical ways.
In support of this, the FDYW will create opportunities for detached youth workers to critically analyse and articulate their work in both multi-agency and partnership frameworks. As such, the FDYW will take a lead role in promoting the greater understandings of what detached youth work is and does (and, implicitly, is not and does not). This will occur in full acknowledgement that misunderstanding occurs both within and without detached youth work circles.
The FDYW will develop a frame of reference through dialogue with those it represents and others for whom youth is a major issue. This will reflect both the climate of opportunity that exists in new ways of working but also the very real fears and concerns expressed by many working or involved in detached youth work today.
The FDYW will provide both leadership to the wider detached youth work service and support for workers struggling to engage with management and other structures. Training programmes will reflect this, with opportunities being created for workers to develop their personal agency and autonomy through developing their skills and confidence. The FDYW's leadership will, in addition, advocate and negotiate on behalf of detached youth workers, disseminate information and support consultative work and good practice, particularly where this work can result in meaningful change.
Key to the development of a national approach is being able to analyse and articulate through an appropriate and consistent statement the FDYW's view of detached youth work approaches, values, and standards. The creation and development of a framework document is also seen as an important part of this process. This document will go some way to enabling the much needed consistency of approach across the regions to become a reality and bring clarity to debates as to the distinction between detached, outreach and street work. It will, in addition, establish priorities and targets and inform associated action and business plans. A number of working groups will be established in order to make this happen. Similarly, a key focus will be on supporting and developing the autonomy of the regions. In this way, a wider structure will be developed that will ensure the FDYW's work is jointly shared by all involved in it.
This structure will support the continued personal and professional development of all concerned through involvement in regular and appropriate training. It will, through direct links to the regions, enable the FDYW to keep in touch with activities of front-line workers in a mutually beneficial way.
It is clear that the aspirations of the FDYW can only be achieved with the support of a National Co-ordinator on a permanent basis. As such, the time-limited nature of funding from the National Lottery must provide a spur to the development of a sustainable post. In the medium term, resources must be invested in developing an exit strategy consistent with Community Fund outputs and able to generate the necessary income to support the position on a longer-term basis thereafter.
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It is within this context that The Federation for Detached Youth Work (FDYW) believes a vision statement is necessary.
The FDYW must become increasingly able to communicate across diverse professional boundaries. Our work with, for example, Social Workers and Youth Offending Teams must complement the activities of these professionals without compromising the crucial role detached youth work makes in working with and advocating on behalf of young people. As such, the FDYW must take on an increasingly educative role in regard to its work in partnership with others and effectively articulate 'what detached youth work is all about'.
This work needs to take place at all levels, across a range of professional boundaries and engage with local, regional and national political structures. Those representing the FDYW will, necessarily, need to enthuse others, promote detached youth work and remain principled to its value-base. They must encourage and support local authorities efforts to build broad-based, grass roots structures in which the roles of detached youth workers and the way in which their work in relation to others is made explicit.
The FDYW must acknowledge that contemporary funding regimes necessitate evidenced-based outputs and support workers in their efforts to validate and promote their work accordingly. This should not detract from the FDYW's commitment to ensure qualitative assessments of work are of equal value. In this way, a more organised, rational and less sentimental system of evaluation can embrace the passion and vocational aspects of detached youth work. Expressing not only the impact and outcomes, but also the inputs consistent with good detached youth work will add value to established process-oriented assessment. Efforts will be made to align these indicators with OFSTED criterion whilst, at the same time, seeking to influence the Inspectorate's vision of what constitutes 'quality' in detached youth work. The FDYW acknowledges that in order to influence assessment and inspection framework it must be fully involved in associated debate and, where necessary, be proactive in getting its voice heard.
It seems clear that achieving this cultural shift will, for many, require some soul-searching. The FDYW believes this can be a positive process in which all concerned develop their skills and confidence in debating and engaging in dialogue not only with peers but also with others outside the service. The innovation and risk-taking implicit in making this process worthwhile will enable detached youth workers to cross professional boundaries – something already done by many colleagues who are now working in formal education or within the multi-disciplinary environments of Youth Offending and Community Safety. In this way, detached youth work will continue to play its part at the leading edge of work with young people, much of it in new and increasingly radical ways.
In support of this, the FDYW will create opportunities for detached youth workers to critically analyse and articulate their work in both multi-agency and partnership frameworks. As such, the FDYW will take a lead role in promoting the greater understandings of what detached youth work is and does (and, implicitly, is not and does not). This will occur in full acknowledgement that misunderstanding occurs both within and without detached youth work circles.
The FDYW will develop a frame of reference through dialogue with those it represents and others for whom youth is a major issue. This will reflect both the climate of opportunity that exists in new ways of working but also the very real fears and concerns expressed by many working or involved in detached youth work today.
The FDYW will provide both leadership to the wider detached youth work service and support for workers struggling to engage with management and other structures. Training programmes will reflect this, with opportunities being created for workers to develop their personal agency and autonomy through developing their skills and confidence. The FDYW's leadership will, in addition, advocate and negotiate on behalf of detached youth workers, disseminate information and support consultative work and good practice, particularly where this work can result in meaningful change.
Key to the development of a national approach is being able to analyse and articulate through an appropriate and consistent statement the FDYW's view of detached youth work approaches, values, and standards. The creation and development of a framework document is also seen as an important part of this process. This document will go some way to enabling the much needed consistency of approach across the regions to become a reality and bring clarity to debates as to the distinction between detached, outreach and street work. It will, in addition, establish priorities and targets and inform associated action and business plans. A number of working groups will be established in order to make this happen. Similarly, a key focus will be on supporting and developing the autonomy of the regions. In this way, a wider structure will be developed that will ensure the FDYW's work is jointly shared by all involved in it.
This structure will support the continued personal and professional development of all concerned through involvement in regular and appropriate training. It will, through direct links to the regions, enable the FDYW to keep in touch with activities of front-line workers in a mutually beneficial way.
It is clear that the aspirations of the FDYW can only be achieved with the support of a National Co-ordinator on a permanent basis. As such, the time-limited nature of funding from the National Lottery must provide a spur to the development of a sustainable post. In the medium term, resources must be invested in developing an exit strategy consistent with Community Fund outputs and able to generate the necessary income to support the position on a longer-term basis thereafter.
previous / contents / top / next