What does it mean to practice youth work ethically? How does ethical theory relate to the youth work profession? What are the moral dilemmas confronting youth workers today, and how should practitioners respond? This definitive text on youth work ethics examines these questions and more and should be on the reading lists of all youth work trainees and practitioners. A wide range of topics are covered, including: confidentiality; sexual propriety; dependence and empowerment; equity of provision; interprofessional working; managing dual relationships; working across cultures; working within an agency. Referencing professional codes of ethics in youth work, and the theories underpinning them, Howard Sercombe offers readers a framework for how to think about their practice ethically. Each chapter includes: -Narrative case studies to provide an insight into real life dilemmas. -Reflective questions and exercises to encourage critical thinking. -Chapter summaries and further reading. Youth Work Ethics is the ideal text for undergraduates and postgraduates studying on youth work, youth studies or youth & community work degrees, as well as youth work practitioners.
Professor Sercombe is a youth work practitioner, researcher and academic who moved to Scotland from Australia in early 2007. Brought up in an Aboriginal community, he has worked as a detached youth worker in inner-city areas and housing estates and quite recently as a community based youth worker in remote towns in Western Australia. His doctoral studies, in sociology, looked at the development of our ideas about young people and the representation of youth in the media. He is passionate about the development of youth work as a profession, and about the way that young people are treated in societies like ours.
Introduction PART ONE: THE IDEA OF A PROFESSION Ethics and the Idea of a Profession Youth Work as a Profession Motivations PART TWO: METHOD AND THEORY IN ETHICS Thinking Ethically Ethical Theory Codes of Ethics PART THREE: ETHICAL ISSUES AND CONFLICTS Ethics and Agency Policy Government Money Referral and Working across Professional Disciplines Confidentiality Youth Workers, Sex and Young People Taking Care and Managing Risk Professional Boundaries and Dual Relationships The Ethics of Power Empowerment and Dependency in the Youth Work Relationship Corruption Equity and Justice Working Ethically across Difference Professional Development Now about You: Self-Care Conclusion
'[In this book] Howard Sercombe offers another useful and considered dimension for revisiting a wide and relevant spectrum of debates and issues in this valuable area...Offers a carefully considered opportunity to re-conceptualise understandings of the core ethics of youth work' - Youth and Policy "This comprehensive and thought provoking book should be read by anyone involved in youth work and should be compulsory reading on youth and community work courses." - Andy Furlong, Professor of Social Inclusion and Education, University of Glasgow "This book combines readability with depth. It is simple to navigate and practice examples create a flash of recognition for anyone engaged in youth work. It is a book that ought to be on every youth worker, youth work manager, academic and policy maker's bookshelf." - Yvonne McNamara, Liverpool John Moores University
