Practitioner Briefing #5

PractitionerBriefing#5:Theroleofdetachedyouthworkincreatingsafetyforyoungpeoplein

publicspaces

DanielleFritzwithDr.PaulOlaitanandDr.CarleneFirmin

MsUnderstoodPartnership(2016)

MSU2016 DetachedYouthWorkandSafetyinPublicSpaces Page2of10

Youngpeople’sperspectivesondetachedyouthwork

‘Itdoesn’thavetobethewholeworldtellingyou,butifsomeone…come[s]out of nowhere trying to help you change this and say, “Yo, you can dosomething good” – that little piece of comfort can help you mentally aswell. And you could be like, “You know what, cool, let me try again’”.(Youngman)‘With the youthworker you can tell them, like,most things and theywillactuallyhelp.Theywillactuallyactonit.’(Youngwoman)‘[The detached youth workers will] speak to you in a reasonable way –they’ll chat to you and be like, “Yo, why’d you do that? These are yourconsequencesnow”.Butforsomeonetocomeuptothecircleandbelike–expecttheyknowyoufromthesystem–Nah,don’tdothat. Idon’tknowyou.Nah,stay inyour league…For [thedetachedyouthworkers] tocomeandspeaktome–it’snotlikethey’redisrespectingme.Thereisprivacy…Obviously, you thinkeventuallywhenyou’rebyyourself, “youknowwhat,yea. Ishouldn’thavedonethat.”Noteveryone isbad intheseestates. It’sthe choices we do, innit. Certain choices are good, certain choices ‘aintgood.Noone’sperfect.Butobviouslythat’swheretheycomein–theyhelpusalittlebitandtheycantalktouslikethat’.(Youngman)


IntroductionThisbriefingpaperdiscussesthebenefitsandlimitationsofdetachedyouthworkprovisionincreatingsafetyforyoungpeopleinpublicspaces.ItformspartofaprogrammeofworkbytheMsUnderstoodPartnershiptoassistthedevelopmentoflocalresponsestopeer-on-peer abuse. The briefing considers unique features of detached youth work; whetherworkers enhance young people’s safety in public spaces and transform the spacesthemselves;factorsthatconstraintheimpactofdetachedyouthwork;andimplicationsofthefindingsonsafeguardingandcommissioning.BackgroundYoungpeopleexperiencepeer-on-peerabuseinarangeofsocialenvironments.Aschildrenmoveintoadolescence,theyspendmoretimesocialisingwithpeers,atschoolandinpublicspaces. Withinthesecontexts,youngpeoplemayencounterhealthynormsthatpromotepro-socialrelationshipsortheymayencounterharmfulnormsthatareconducivetoabusiveandexploitativerelationships (Firmin,2016).Local responsesneedto identify,assess,andinterveneinallofthesocialenvironmentswherepeer-on-peerabuseoccurs–inessencetotakea‘contextual’approachtothephenomenon.Detached youthwork is onemethod of engagingwith and intervening in young people’ssocialenvironments. Whiledetachedyouthworkhaschangedovertimeandaccordingtolocal contexts, itmay broadly be defined as a type of youthwork provision that deliversinformal education to young people on their own terms and in spaces of their choosing.Detachedyouthworkersdeveloprelationshipswithyoungpeopleovertimeandthenworkwiththemaroundarangeofissues,suchasemploymentandeducation,youthviolenceandchild sexual exploitation. Detached youth work itself becomes one of the social fieldsaroundyoungpeople(VandeWalleetal,2011).MethodologyOver a six-month period, researchers observed detached youth work sessions andconducted focus groups in two London boroughs. In total, researchers observed eightsessions,conductedtwofocusgroupswithdetachedyouthworkers,twofocusgroupswithyoungpeople,andtwofocusgroupswithmulti-agencypartners.PreliminaryfindingsofthestudywerepresentedtoanddiscussedbyyouthworkersfromsixLondonboroughsduringaroundtablediscussionheld inMay2016. FieldworkdatawasthenqualitativelycodedandanalysedusingNVivo11software.FeaturesofDetachedYouthWorkParticipants in focus groups identified the following as crucial to detached workers’engagement with young people: working in locations of young people’s choosing; andbuildingrelationships.


LocationDetached youth workers engage directly in young people’s social spaces: estates, parks,shopping centres, and other places where young people socialise. Engaging with youngpeople in these spaces reverses the typical power dynamic between young people andprofessionals. Within offices and buildings, professionals are in positions of authority,whereasdetachedyouthworkersmustnegotiaterelationshipsonyoungpeople’sterms.Bymaintaining a consistent and long-termpresence in an area, young people begin to trustdetachedworkers.Detachedworkersarethenabletowitnessyoungpeopleinteractinginpeer groups and understand the power dynamicswithin these groups in the localities inwhich they form. Workers come tounderstand the contexts inwhich youngpeople live,allowingthemtoempathisewithyoungpeople’srealities(Lavie-Ajayi,2013).‘When you’re walking the streets and getting to know the neighbourhood and seeingdeprivation, or you’re seeing the vandalism or whatever, then when young people aretalkingtoyouabouttheirarea,youknowwhatthatmeans-youknowthattheshopdowntheroadhasbeenclosedandlooksawful,andtherubbishisoutthere,andit’sshit,andthedoordoesn’twork.Youunderstandthat’.(Detachedyouthworker)‘Ialwayssayit,whenIgototheareasIworkin,Icantasteit,Icanfeelit,Icansmellwhat’sgoingoninthatarea.IputafootonthatpavementandIcanfeel,Icansense…Ihaveagoodempathyandunderstandingofwhat’slifelikeinthatparticularareaonaday-to-daybasis’.(Detachedyouthworker)RelationshipbuildingDetachedyouthworkersmustestablish relationshipsbeforestartingprogrammesofworkwith young people. In addition to maintaining a physical presence within an area,participantsinfocusgroupsidentifiedthefollowingasimportanttorelationshipbuilding:

• Time:Detachedyouthworkersoftenneedtime(monthstoyears)toestablishthemselvesastrustworthyandcapableintheeyesofyoungpeopleandtheirwiderpeernetworks;

• Lackofanobviousagenda:Detachedworkersdonotapproachyoungpeoplewithanarticulatedagenda.Theworkisledbyanddevelopedwithyoungpeople,whichcontrastswithyoungpeople’sexperiencesofotherservices;

• Voluntaryengagement:Youngpeoplechoosetoengagewithdetachedworkers–itisnotimposedonthembyastatutoryserviceorcourt.

‘It’sbecausewe’vegotacertainleveloftrustthatIcanhavetheconfidencetotellthemthings. But if they cameup tomeand kept askingquestions andnaggingme like socialworkers…Butagain, thatcomes through theyears. Itdon’t just comestraightaway.Likethey’vebeentheresincewewerelittle’.(Youngman)‘BecauseS.actslikeourfriendsowefeellikewecantellhermorethingsbyherdoingthat’.(Youngwoman)


Detachedyouthworkersalsoformrelationshipswithpeergroupsandcommunitymemberssurrounding individual young people. During focus groups, detached youth workersdescribedtheprocessofslowlyestablishingapresenceinanareaovermonths.Toestablisharelationshipwiththewidercommunity,workersoftenreachouttoshopkeepersandotherlocal business owners, older members of the community, professionals working withineducational settings, family members of young people and, sometimes, older gangmembers.Inotherwords,detachedyouthworkersformrelationshipswithcontextsaswellasindividualyoungpeople.CreatingSafetyinPublicSpacesOnce detachedworkers establish relationshipswith young people and their peer groups,theyareadeptatthenenhancingthesafetyofyoungpeoplewithinriskyenvironments.Insomecircumstances,theyareableto improvethesafetyoftheriskycontextsthemselves.Asconceivedwithinthisbriefing,‘safety’referstoayoungperson’sphysical,relationalandpsychological safety (Shuker, 2013). Detached youth workers help create safety for andaroundyoungpeopleby:

• Challengingbehaviourandattitudesthroughdialogue;• Buildingresiliencetoriskandcreatingsafetyplans;• Identifyingopportunitiestodisengagefromriskyorharmfulbehaviours;and• Insomecircumstances,transformingtheriskycontextitself

BuildingresiliencetoriskandcreatingsafetyplansDetached workers encourage young people to think about their own safety in differentenvironments. Although detachedworkers are engaging young people within their peergroups and neighbourhoods, efforts to build resilience tend to focus on an individual’sresiliencetorisk.Inpractice,thiscouldlooklikeadiscussionbetweenaworkerandayoungperson in which they discuss and agree upon measures for staying safe in differentsituations.Othertimes,discussionsaroundsafetymayariseduringplannedactivities.Onedetachedworkerdescribedtheactivitiestheyrunasthe‘carrot’thatattractsyoungpeopletothesessions.Duringthesessions,workerscanbegintoaddresssomeoftheissuesthatplaceyoungpeopleatrisk.‘Shekindalikehelpsusbesafe.Shetellsuswhattodoincaseanythinghappens.Shegivesusanideaofwhattodointhatsituation’.(Youngwoman)

ChallengingbehaviourandattitudesthroughdialogueDetachedworkersengageyoungpeopleinarangeofdiscussionsaroundissuesofpersonalsafety, riskybehavioursandattitudes thatpromoteharmfulor riskybehaviours. Workersmayengageyoungpeoplewithinpeergroupsorhavesideconversationswithindividuals–theinteractionsareoftenfluid.Youngpeopleareabletoexpresstheiropinionsanddiscusstheir actionswithout fear of judgment. In turn,workers challenge youngpeople, offering


them opportunities to critically interrogate their actions and opinions in an openenvironment,oftenwithinpeergroups.Duringonesession,forexample,researchersobservedhowthedetachedworkerchallengedtheuseofharmful languagewithinapeergroup. Ayoungpersonwouldselectasongtoplayandifamemberofthegrouppointedoutalyricthatpromotedharmfulstereotypes,thenthegroupmemberwhoidentifiedthelyriccouldputonasongofhischoosing.Withinthecontextoftheyouthworksession,youngpeoplewereabletopracticeandexperiencealternativewaysofthinkingandacting.OpportunitiestodisengagefromriskyorharmfulbehavioursandcontextsDetached workers help young people exit risky environments by encouraging them toaccess other forms of support and opportunities. Detached workers in focus groupsexplained that stigmas around services like social care and Child and AdolescentMentalHealthServices(CAMHS)oftenpreventyoungpeoplefromseekingsupporttheyareentitledto. Young people weremore willing to engage with a service if recommended by theiryouthworkerbecauseofthetrustintheirrelationship.TransformingContextsYouthworkers’presenceitselfcancreateatemporarysenseofsafetyforyoungpeopleandtheirpeergroupsinpublicspaces.Detachedyouthworkerscreatesafesocialenvironmentsin which young people can engage in alternative ways of thinking and acting. In oneborough, for example, workers brought young people from neighbourhoods in conflicttogether for a mechanics programme. Through the sessions, workers also engaged theyoungpeople in thinking around conflict resolution.While themechanicsprogrammedidnot resolve inter-neighbourhood tensions, it provided young people an opportunity tospendtimewithyoungpeoplefromrivalareasandexperience,temporarily,analternativetoareaconflict.At times, detached workers make the environment around the young person safer byaddressinganeed in thearea thathas created riskwithinanenvironment. For instance,detachedworkersinoneboroughidentifiedthatyoungpeople’sinvolvementinanti-socialbehaviours (ASB)was largely causedby a lack of activities or opportunities. By engagingyoung people on the street, detached workers were able to co-design activities thatoccupiedyoungpeople’stimeinconstructiveways,whichledtoadropinASBinthearea.Yet detached youth workers are limited in their capacity to transform risky or harmfulcontexts. Detached workers are often not able to change the structural barriers andunderlyingharmfulnorms that create riskyenvironments. Themain impactofdetachedworkersonyoungpeople’ssafetyremains largely individualised– theyhelpyoungpeopleexitorbesaferwithinriskyenvironments.


‘There’snothingtheycandoaboutittobehonest.Whatcantheydoaboutusleavingthearea and having other people want to harm us? What can they really do about that?Nothing.Whattheycandois justtryandmakeusstopthatlifestylereally’.(Youngman’sresponse to the question: What role detached workers can play in mitigating violencebetweengroupsofyoungpeople?)

ChallengesfacingdetachedyouthworkersAlthoughdetachedyouthwork isaneighbourhood-basedservice,workers’ability toworkmorewidelyonissuesofcommunitysafetyislimited,inpartduetoatargetedyouthworkculturethatemphasisesindividualisedoutcomesonspecific issues. Partners’expectationsplacefurtherpressureondetachedworkerstoperformfunctionsoutsideofthetraditionalremitofdetachedwork.TargetedYouthWorkCultureAsanon-statutoryservice,detachedyouthwork(andyouthworkmoregenerally)holdsaprecarious position relative to other services. Within local authorities that have retaineddetachedyouthworkafterrecentfundingcuts,detachedteamsoftenformpartofalarger‘targeted youth work’ service. Targeted youth support aims to identify the needs ofvulnerableteenagersandenablethemtoaccessearlysupport;itisapreventativeapproachundertakenbydifferentagencies.Yet a targeted approach conflicts withwhatmany see as core values of detached youthwork,andyouthworkmorebroadly:maintainingflexibleandparticipativemethodsaroundinformaleducation.Detachedworkersnolongerhavethesameflexibilitytoworkonissuesidentified by young people. Instead detachedworkers in some areasmust try to achieveprescribedoutcomes–oftenaroundgettingyoungpeople intoeducationoremployment,oreliminatingparticularbehaviours (Pittsetal,2002). An individualisedapproachfurtherlimitsworkers’ ability to direct interventions at young people’s environments (Lavie-AjayiandKrumer-Nevo,2013).Detached workers also have less time to speak with shopkeepers, parents and othermembersofthecommunity.Inthepast,detachedworkerswereoutinneighbourhoods3-5timesaweekforhoursatatime.Withthatconsistentpresencetheycreatedawidersenseof safety for the community and provided community reassurance. Presently, detachedwork forms part of a much broader suite of youth workers’ responsibilities. Managingmultiplerolescanimpactdetachedworkers’abilitytoengagewithyoungpeople,especiallywhenworkersmanageyouthconditionalcautions.


‘Wehaven’tgotenough time to invest in theoldstyle–going into theareaandmeetingwiththeneighborhoodandtheparents.Ioftenfindmyselfthesedaysmore–almostlike–like avoiding certain roads because I know thatwe’ll walk there and the parentswill behangingoutontheirbalcony…Iknowthatsoundsawful’.(Detachedyouthworker)‘You’rewearingtwodifferenthats–ifyou’vegotayoungpersonyou’reworkingwithona[youthconditional]cautionandhasnointentionofgoing…thenyou’rethepersonthathastosendthatbacktocourt...ButthenyoucanseethemaspartofyourgrouponaThursdaynight,andyoudon’twanttheyoungpersontoavoidcomingtogroupbecausetheydon’twanttoseeyoubecausethey’venotbeengoingtoyouforcautions.Thathashappened.Itputsyouinareallydifficultplace’.(Detachedyouthworker)Partners’ExpectationsPartnershipworking has also changed for detached youthworkers. In the past,within acommunity-basedapproachtodetachedyouthwork,partners includedshopkeepers,parkwardens,housingcaretakers,etc.Withthefocusnowonindividualisedoutcomesforyoungpeople, partners have shifted to include social care, youth offending services, police, etc.Yetpartnersdonotalwaysunderstandwhatdetachedyouthworkis,andsometimesexpectdetached workers to perform functions that do not align with the skills or expertise ofworkers.Forexample,detachedworkersdescribedthetensionbetweentheinterestfrompartneragenciesinreceivingintelligencefromdetachedteams,andtheworkers’interestinmaintainingthetrustofyoungpeopleandthewidercommunity.Participantsalsoexpressedfrustrationthatdetachedworkisoftenseenasatoolfor‘rapidresponse’ after an incident. Some partners expect that detached workers will gatherinformationafteraseriousincidentorprovidesupporttoaffectedyoungpeople.Detachedworkers point out that they need an existing presence within the community andrelationshipswithyoungpeopleinorderforsuchinteractionstobemeaningful.‘AsIsayallalong,wearenotfirefighters.Wearenotrapidresponse.Whatarewegoingtodo? So what, you’re going to send us out there. For what? It can actually be moredangerous.Youdon’tknowthearea.Youdon’tknowthegroup’.(Detachedyouthworker)

ConclusionDetached youthwork offers unique opportunities to engage young people in their socialenvironments. By entering these social spheres, workers are able to slowly developrelationships with young people and public environments and ultimately improveindividuals’safetywithincontextsthatposeariskofharm.Workersalsocreatesafespacesin which young people can interrogate their own opinions and behaviours, and try toembodyhealthieralternatives.Insomecircumstances,workersareabletotransformriskyenvironmentsthemselvesbyaddressinggapsthatcreatedriskinthefirstplace.Yetdespitedetachedyouthworkbeinganeighbourhood-basedservice,workers’abilitytocreatesafer


environments is limited, in part due to a targeted youth culture that emphasisesindividualisedoutcomeson specific issues. Asdetachedworkers adapt to the realitiesoflimited funding, they often take on multiple roles, which undermines their capacity todevelop relationshipswith young people and the broader community. Overall, detachedworkers continue to engage and intervene in contexts around a young person, but theimpactisoftenindividualised.ImplicationsforSafeguardingandCommissioning

• Commissionersshouldconsiderwheredetachedyouthworksitsinrelationtootherservicesandpartners.Themethodsandethosofdetachedworkdonotalwaysfitneatlywithinatargetedyouthworkmodel.Asaneighbourhood-basedservice,considerationneedstobegiventothewaysinwhichdetachedyouthworkcanmaintain/createrelationshipswithcommunitysafetypartnerships.

• Commissionersshouldconsiderfundinglong-term,full-timedetachedyouthworksothatdetachedworkersareabletobuildmeaningfulrelationshipswithyoungpeople,theirpeergroupsandwidercommunities.Detachedworkshouldnotbeseenasarapid-responsetoolafterseriousincidentsinvolvingyoungpeople.

• Thosewithoversightofdetachedteamscouldconsiderdevelopinggroupoutcomemeasurementstocapturetheimpactofdetachedworkonpeergroups.Individualisedoutcomeassessmentswillnotcaptureprogressmadewithingroups–forexample,whetherapeergroupbecomesasupportive,healthycontextforthosewithinthegroup.

• Awarenessoftheroleandpurposeofdetachedyouthworkvariesamongotherservices.Thisaffectspartners’expectationsandabilitytoshareinformationwithdetachedteams.Thosewithoversightofdetachedteamscouldworktobetterinformpartnersandengagedetachedworkersindecision-makingwithinmulti-agencymeetings.

• Thecontributionofdetachedyouthworkinbuildingaresponsetopeer-on-peerabuseneedstobeexpresslyconsideredinrelevantstrategicdocuments,actionsplansandmulti-agencystructures.Thisisparticularlyimportantinareasseekingtodevelopamorecontextualresponsetotheissue.

Ifyouhaveanyqueriesonthisbriefing,[email protected].

www.msunderstood.org.uk

@MsUnderstoodUK


ReferencesBradford,S.andCullen,F.(2013)PositiveforYouthWork?ContestedterrainsofprofessionalyouthworkinausterityEngland.InternationalJournalofAdolescenceandYouth19(S1):93-106.Crimmens,D.,Factor,F.,Jeffs,T.,Pitts,J.,Pugh,C.,Spence,J.,etal.(2004)Reachingsociallyexcludedyoungpeople:Anationalstudyofstreet-basedyouthwork.Leicester:NationalYouthAgency.Firmin,C.(2016)ContextualSafeguarding,ChildSexualExploitationandRelatedVulnerabilities:ABriefingforthePolice.Luton:UniversityofBedfordshire.Lavie-Ajayi,M.andKrumer-Nevo,M.(2013)Inadifferentmindset:Criticalyouthworkwithmarginalizedyouth.ChildrenandYouthServicesReview1698-1704.VandeWalle,T.,Coussée,F.,Bouverne-DeBrie,M.(2011)Socialexclusionandyouthwork–fromthesurfacetothedepthsofaneducationalpractice.JournalofYouthStudies14(2)219-231.Pitts,J.,Pugh,C.,Turner,P.(2002)Communitysafetyanddetachedandoutreachyouthwork.CommunitySafetyJournal1(2)9-18.Shuker,L.(2013)EvaluationofBarnardo’sSafeAccommodationProjectforSexuallyExploitedandTraffickedYoungPeople.Luton:UniversityofBedfordshire.

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Practitioner Briefing #5