Effective from: 25th February 2023
Version:2
Review Date: February 2024
Detached youth work is a distinct form of work with young people. As with all youth work, it uses the principles and practice of informal education to engage young people in a constructive dialogue, within a broad agenda of personal and social development. The work is underpinned by mutual trust and respect and responds to the needs of young people. The basis of the relationship between the worker and the young person is mutual acceptance and parity. Traditional notions of adult power and authority are brought into sharp focus.
(Federation of Detached Youth work 2007)
Detached work is a style of youth work in which the youth worker goes out to meet young people on their own ground – in pubs, cafes, arcades, shops parks and street corners.
Detached work is an important part of a comprehensive youth work strategy, and should not be seen as a ‘knee jerk’ response to political or social pressure, be it concern about crime figures, drugs or other disturbance. It is complementary to other approaches, including centre based provision, project work and outreach work, and a method of providing social education to young people who may not otherwise have access to youth activities. Some young people may have no alternative provision in their neighbourhood; others simply do not wish or feel able to attend the centre which is there.
The underlying principles and philosophy of detached youth work are to accept young people as they are. Young people who gather on street corners are often viewed as a threat to the community or at risk to themselves. Detached work does not label or judge in this way – workers do not condemn young people because of their behaviour, but they do not condone it either, and will constructively challenge young people about their behaviour, attitudes and perception of self and others.
The basis of the relationship between worker and young people is mutual acceptance and parity – a negotiated relationship in which traditional notions of adult power and authority play no part.
Detached youth work is, above all, about working flexibly. Detached youth workers don’t have to look after buildings. They can therefore use their geographical flexibility to best meet the needs of young people. They celebrate the uncertainty implied by an open-ended way of working and value this for its democratic credentials. They recognise its effectiveness in engaging, in particular, those young people whose lifestyles are sometimes chaotic and sit uncomfortably with order and prescription.
For detached work to function effectively, and to ensure that the workers, who undertake the work are adequately supported, each project must develop policy and guidelines pertinent to its purpose.
Detached youth work is not a cheap option, and careful consideration needs to be given to the appropriate resource of the work in order to ensure the effectiveness of services to young people, and to protect the values of the work itself, which can be adversely affected by unrealistic expectations and inadequate direction and support.
To assist in this process, the following guidelines may be used as a basis for the development of individual project’s own policies, but it would be important that each project considers these matters for themselves, so that there is a comprehensive understanding and knowledge throughout the project of all the people involved, workers, managers and advisory personnel.
Youth Workers new to detached youth work should receive initial training, which will include a comprehensive briefing about the objectives of the detached work project, the importance of adequate reconnaissance and methods of contacting young people safely.
There should also be access to information or training related to the legal system, young people’s rights, and drug and health related issues.
Detached youth work is a method of work that requires strict self-discipline and purpose. This cannot be emphasised enough. There are no opening times or constraints as can be found within building based work, and therefore it is essential that workers are highly motivated, confident and committed to the purpose of developing positive relationships with young people in the settings of their choosing. The major resource is that of the workers, with their particular skills, experience and knowledge, and the work is reliant upon their abilities and effective practice.
In order to ensure the project maintains purpose and quality, workers should be regularly supervised in accordance with the Supervision Policy.
Workers should De-brief after each session and ensure accurate recording. All staff will engage in managerial supervision on a 6/8 week basis in line with NPCA Supervision policy.
Agreed Working Hours:
To ensure safety, detached youth workers will be deemed ‘on duty’ at agreed times and days of the week, and have telephone access to nominated persons from within the team structure. All work should start and finish at an agreed time and base.
The above does not preclude workers being professional in their judgements concerning young peoples’ needs and allowing for flexibility in working arrangements. The nature of the work is not that associated with a strict timetable, as there are times when young people require contact support outside the ‘norm’ of patterned work. Workers should be relied upon to make autonomous, professional decisions, which do not increase risk to themselves or the young persons being worked with, but allow for spontaneity and flexibility in addressing certain circumstances. Pre agreed routes indicating radius should be reflected within the planning.
Single worker posts create unnecessary stress and isolation for the worker, and good practice would dictate that workers work in pairs. This provides mutual support for workers, but can also ensure that there is corroboration of evidence or a witness in the event of accusations from young people or the police. Due consideration should be paid to gender balance in working pairs, and when undertaking the work workers should be careful not to put themselves in situations which may leave them open to allegations of misconduct or abuse.
If it is not possible to work in pairs, professional judgement must be used within the context of ones’ own experience and knowledge concerning safe working practices. Use common sense and apply it. The most appropriate individual work will be that where services are being provided for young people e.g. court attendance, previously agreed meetings, workshops or group work in known venues/settings.
Workers must carry I.D. cards with a photograph and name of workers whilst working or in a paid capacity.. The cards do not guarantee protection, but can assist in establishing workers’ identity and legitimate purpose. Loss of cards should be reported to the management, to reduce the risk of people impersonating workers.
At no time should the home address and telephone number of the worker be divulged. This information should be kept entirely confidential.
Workers/teams should be supplied with mobile phones for the purpose of making contact in emergency situations. Workers themselves can carry items which they feel appropriate for safety purposes e.g. personal alarm, first aid.
Workers are not expected to take greater risks than they would in their private lives, but it is acknowledged that the work will always carry an element of risk to it.
Workers should meet regularly together for mutual support, sharing experiences, information and ideas to aid the development of good and safe practices. Meetings should be recorded and training needs identified from them.
Workers must work within the law and within other guidelines issued by NPCA such as drugs and outdoor education. Access to all policies and guidelines are available through the organisation’s website or at the office at the centre.
Appropriate insurance will be provided in respect of Public Liability, Employer’s Liability and Personal Accident/Injury.
Recordings are an essential and vital reference with regards to contacts made as well as for supervision, monitoring of the work, evaluation and forward planning.
Workers should record their work as soon as possible after sessions worked with young people, and these should be agreed as part of the timed working session.
Records should be confidential to the project/service
Each project should access IO recording and every worker, full, part-time or volunteer be responsible for completing them on a regular basis. This is an essential element of detached youth work discipline. Please note if the system is down and individuals cannot gain access then the paper format from the same system must be followed.
The responsive, flexible nature of the work can increase the risk of a project or workers losing focus and direction. It is impossible for detached workers or projects to answer every need and demand of the young people or the community where they live or utilise.
The project must set out its intentions with clear aims, objectives, geographical location and boundaries, and the work must be effectively planned.
Evaluation should be a continuing process, using workers’ recordings and findings, and by involving the management/steering committee in a regular review of the project’s aims and objectives.
Each piece of more formal structured work that might arise should be evaluated alongside and with the young people involved.
Workers need to be explicit with young people and others regarding the boundaries within which they work.
Regarding what a worker witnesses, the worker may be obliged to contact the police (e.g. serious assault) whilst other situations would require the worker to answer truthfully if later questioned by the police (e.g. smashed window). In either case the worker will not lie on behalf of young people and it is vital that young people know this.
Workers need to be aware that young people may assume through implication that confidentiality goes further than it actually does. The only exception to this is when someone is in such extreme danger that their safety becomes the overriding factor.
Workers would also recognise that it may be expedient for them to make a “tactical withdrawal”, so that they do not witness an anticipated incident. It is OK to say to young people “if you’re going to do that, I do not want to work with you/cannot work with you at this moment in time”.
Centre Manager (CM) should appreciate that the worker will sometimes only convey such basic information about a contact as to render themselves accountable. If it becomes necessary or appropriate for the worker to go into more detail than this then the anonymity of individuals should be preserved. CM should in turn observe confidentiality, allowing workers to be frank with young people about what they report and to whom, notwithstanding the legal requirements outlined in previous paragraphs.
It is essential to respect the confidentiality of workers’ written reports, as the work centres on individuals and groups of young people. Young people should not be identified by this process, or any information used outside the context of the project.
The workers, volunteers, management and trustees should ensure that the local community, inclusive of other agencies is aware of the presence of the project prior to the commencement of direct work with young people. This should be communicated strategically and operationally. It is necessary to draw up plans and prepare for the work, by being clear about the area of operation, purpose and intention of the work, and to circulate this information within the local community. Personal contact is most important in terms of getting to know an area and the people, and this must be a priority at the onset of any project.
The terms detached, outreach and project based youth work as descriptions of types of work are often confused, and this can lead to misunderstandings about the purpose of them, and in some instances workers being given inappropriate job titles for the work that they are engaged in.
Definitions by their very nature can be a matter of argument and debate, but these following definitions may enable more clarity to emerge concerning the emphasis of the work.
Detached work is a style of work in which the youth worker goes out to meet young people on their own ground – in pubs, cafes, arcades, parks and street corners. The basis of the work is in accepting young people as they are, not because they have been labelled or described as “disadvantaged”, “delinquent” or “truant”. Workers do not have to manage or be responsible for a building, allowing them to be more flexible, responsive and responsible to the young people they meet.
Outreach work involves contacting young people outside a centre. It is an extension of work linked to a base, such as a youth centre or project, and can be used to encourage young people to make use of existing provision. It aims to reach young people in the name of the centre or project, and in some circumstances it will bring young people back to the base, developing work with them there.
Street project work has a specific targeted objective, whether that be a particular type of grouping of young people, or a definitive purpose linked to measurable outcomes. This could mean for example working specifically with young people who have been identified as “drug users” with the aim of reducing harm to themselves and the wider community or working in a particular locality with the objective of reducing criminality amongst young people.
The work invariably follows four phases. This is a flexible model. The level of involvement and the time allowed for each phase will vary depending on the individual situation. The process is not strictly sequential, as the detached youth worker will always need to revisit the various elements.
Detached youth work should not be rushed into. Simply putting two people together and expecting them to go out onto the streets and make contact with young people is risky. Preparation is the key.
The initial contact stage is often the most challenging, particularly for new workers. Approaching a group ‘cold’ can feel intimidating. Workers will benefit from thinking about how young people will perceive them. They can also learn a lot by working alongside more experienced colleagues. Ultimately, each worker needs to develop a style of approach that feels and looks natural in order to be effective.
Once workers have established a basic working relationship, they can begin some form of intervention with the group or individual. Workers must always remember that their main task is the on-going relationship with young people. The detached youth worker is the resource and should not let a problem-oriented approach eclipse the social education aspects of the work.
Many of these strategies will already be used in traditional youth work settings. Detached youth workers need to think about how to adapt them to a street-based context. With imagination – and by allowing enough time to establish relationships – detached youth workers can deliver traditional group work methods and activities in street settings. The environment in which detached youth work operates is rarely, though, as conducive to focused, structured activity as work in worker-controlled spaces. CM needs to understand that this will affect outputs and make it more difficult to record and accredit outcomes in quantifiable ways; they need to make sure that monitoring takes the inherent circumstances of street work into account.
As the relationship develops and needs change, the work may move to other settings – into a minibus or building, activities, trips, residentials, etc, and take a more structured approach (developmental work). By definition, detached youth workers will be working with young people who often find the imposition of structure and boundaries difficult and who choose to spend their time in the unstructured environment of the street. They should therefore plan this developmental work carefully if it is to succeed. Staffing ratios should reflect the need for intensive support.
Workers should not move from detached youth work to developmental work without being fully conscious of the risks of doing so. Project work shouldn’t, for example, develop at the expense of detached youth work. Workers should also be aware of potential conflicts from using different methods of work. The best scenario is for developmental work to happen in addition to detached youth work, and that this is fully negotiated with the young people, so that the changing responsibilities and boundaries are clear to all.
Workers should ask –
Successful developmental and other work can’t take place unless a high quality relationship is first established and maintained. Detached youth workers should not encourage young people with whom they do not have such a relationship to participate.
Where possible, workers should try gradually to increase levels of structured activity and project work, testing the water to see how young people cope with any new expectations/demands placed on them by virtue of new environments. They can avoid problems if they encourage young people to explore and understand these changes (particularly to roles and expectations) and have clearly considered how these changes relate to their own interests.
If problems arise, detached youth workers can either negotiate further and/or return to pure detached youth work. Being firm and consistent can prove a positive learning process: workers should not be reluctant to withdraw provision as part of fostering relationships built on mutual trust and respect.
Consent forms are necessary, both procedurally and legally. But they also offer a useful way of setting out changes to expectations and outlining consequences of breaking agreements on ground rules. The use of sanctions (such as terminating activities) has profound implications for the power base of the work, and workers should recognise how this will affect relationships in the future. Wherever possible, all such ‘power shifts’ should be highlighted and negotiated so that young people can appreciate why the ground rules are necessary for their own safety and enjoyment. So a positive approach to behaviour management, where young people appreciate boundaries, is desirable.
Workers can encourage young people to appreciate the responsibilities that they (the workers) have, and the possible consequences for the worker should safety and other guidelines be compromised.
Where public transport or public buildings are used, workers need to set clear boundaries about acceptable behaviour and agree consequences with young people beforehand. This will include use of offensive or oppressive language. Workers may find peer pressure a useful technique to encourage collective responsibility. But they should also be aware of how oppression within groups can silence certain members. They also need to think about the tendency to ‘rescue’ individuals, which denies young people the chance to learn the social skills necessary for their development
Founded in 2022, Youth Empowering Service CIC (YES CIC) is a forward-thinking, trauma-informed social enterprise dedicated to empowering young people and strengthening communities. We specialise in delivering innovative programmes that address anti social behaviour via detached programmes, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), promote positive behaviour, and support mental health and well-being.