Ethical issues in youth work

Presenting a systematic analysis of some of the core ethical dilemmas facing youth workers in their day-to-day practice, this text discusses topics such as: when to break confidentiality; the ethics of religious conversion; conflicts between cultures; balancing the autonomy and control of young people; and maintaining an equilibrium between accountability to funders, employers and young people.

The book also examines some of the key issues facing youth workers in the context of public fears of youth crime, lawlessness, drug use, teenage pregnancy and policies designed to control and contain as well as educate and care for young people.

This text offers an insight into both the perennial dilemmas of youth work practice and some of the challenges faced by youth workers in the light of late-1990s public attitudes and government policy towards young people.