Understanding Youth Work Law

Understanding the law is now a more important part of youth work practice than ever before, and all successful youth work professionals need to understand the way that law and policy supports good ethical practice.

This book provides a coherent overview of the legal processes and requirements encountered by today’s youth work professionals, helping readers learn how to make informed ethical judgements and offer appropriate advice to young people. It offers an insight into how laws are made, explains major legal requirements for safe youth work practice and details a range of guidance on the current frameworks and legislation students and practitioners need to be aware of. Using real world scenarios, case studies, and reflective questions, it helps the reader to engage critically with the current legal context of youth work, and develop their thinking, skills and practice.

This is essential reading for all students working towards professional recognition in work with young people.

Brian McGinley is a lecturer in Community Education within the School of Social Sciences at the University of Strathclyde. Prior to taking up his full time academic career in 2005 Brian was a senior officer in a Scottish Local Authority with responsibility for developing inter-organisational partnerships under the umbrella of Community Planning. Throughout his 21 years in practice, he built up substantial experience at operational, middle and senior management levels, directing inter-disciplinary teams and delivering mutli-dimensional services. These experiences have enabled him to carve out an academic profile through regular research, teaching, learning and writing. Brian is also a Director of the Scottish Centre for Youth Work Studies and the Editor of the International Journal of Youth Work. Brian is an elected politician in South Ayrshire and is Chair of the Council’s Scrutiny and Governance Management Panel. He was a member of Strathclyde Police Authority (2102-13) which is a tripartite Governance arrangement with Scottish Ministers and the Chief Constable to execute statutory functions.  Brian is currently a substitute member of Strathclyde Passenger Transport, a member of the Ayrshire Educational Trust and a Fellow of Higher education Academy (HEA). Brian’s main research interests include investigating and substantiating different forms of community based practice, especially youth work, with an emphasis on the learning process in informal educational settings. A main thread of his research has concentrated on the importance of the ethical learning relationship within informal educational settings to uncover the learners’ voice and identify the pedagogical features that are valued most. His research also identifies the use of practitioner’s reflective, personal and public voice as a way of encouraging improvement in teaching practice. Another key feature of his research is exploring the extent to which the political and educational policy context in the UK continues to demand constant change which increasingly requires youth workers to be legally and politically aware, up to date and critically reflective. He also researches the effectiveness of policy implementation in establishing appropriate spaces and structures for meaningful and critical participation to overcome exclusion and help people to make a useful contribution to society.