Social Work in the Youth Justice System: A Multidisciplinary Perspective

This is a book for social workers working within the youth justice system; a highly demanding area of practice that requires a depth of knowledge and skill. All Youth Offending Teams are required to employ a social worker, yet it is often a challenge to find space within youth justice practice to uphold social work values. This practical book demonstrates how practitioners can work in creative, ethical and reflective ways within Youth Offending Teams.Topics include: LegislationMultiagency working Risk assessmentWorking with high risk offenders Alternative interventions Case studies, vignettes and reflective questions are used throughout to help students and practitioners relate theory directly to practice. "This book is an excellent introduction to the important contribution of social workers in the field of work with young offenders. Social work is a key profession in agencies working with such young people, especially in Youth Offending Teams, yet until now it has been a neglected area in social work literature. This will be a key text for social work students and practitioners who need to have an overview of the functions, methods, skills and approaches to working with young offenders." Brian Littlechild, Professor of Social Work, University of Hertfordshire, UK"This is a timely book containing much useful information on young people, both as offenders and victims. It covers issues of risk, the scaled approach promoted by the Youth Justice Board, interventions and reflective practice. It will be essential reading for criminology and social work students who should learn about youth justice as well as other professionals in education, police etc. I will be recommending it to my students." Professor Anthony Goodman, Department of Criminology and Sociology, Middlesex University, UK"Comprehensive, focused and immediately useful, this book is an articulate and highly readable synthesis of current thinking on social work and a framework to apply this in everyday practi