What do detached youth workers do

Historically, it was thought of as work with the "unattached" or the "unclubbables" - those who didn't fit or were barred from mainstream youth provision. More recent terms might include disengaged, at risk or socially excluded.

It shouldn't be a knee-jerk response to local political pressure to "do something" about a group of visible young people. Detached work is about the careful building of relationships with young people, some of whom may be mistrustful and have years of negative experiences of adult contact.

It is not the youth work version of a rapid response team designed to clear the streets of antisocial behaviour. If a project is setting up in a new area, a period of familiarisation and observation, often called reconnaissance, is usually carried out.

The aim is to get under the skin of the area, see what really is going on, and put the detached team's resources where they will be best used.

The trick is not to work with the first group you come across. The social implications for the youth include more stable family life, improved well-being, and increased community cohesion. In the long term, the youth are more likely to stay in school, so they are more likely to have better jobs and the community overall will be safer. The Detached Youth Work Model can be applied to both rural and urban settings. With about 3 workers per night session, contacts with youth were made and contact hours have been delivered by the project.

A description I often use is to imagine a new bar opening in town. If I am employed to engage with a group of potential customers and support them to set up a satellite bar on the street, then it is detached. One of the things I like best about being a detached youth worker is the element of excitement - no two days are likely to be the same.

Detached youth workers can create safer environments in the places they attend and provide important information to other agencies when developing contextual interventions. By building trusted relationships with young people they can provide advice and support and identify harm at earlier stages.