In this part we pick out some key aspects of youth work practice and policy that we felt merited a second look and, using the theoretical frame set out in Chapter Two, present some alternative perspectives for both practitioners on the ground and policymakers. First we suggest that some cherished notions have become embedded in youth work professional discourse and become ‘tales’ that might require re-evaluation. We take the notion of professional relationships and by applying a psychosocial lens highlight some possible shortcomings in how they are currently conceived. Other cherished concepts such as trust and respect can become ambiguous at best, or meaningless at worst. We then explore how incorporating more post-structural notions of intersectionality and contemporary theorising of racialisation and masculinities into our analysis of violence and identity might avoid less than effective responses to young people who are living in, and responding to, a changed cultural condition characterised by the social forces of change and uncertainty.

Graeme Tiffany, our co-researcher and contributor, then delivers his own analysis of how policy, both at the organisational and national level, can best support and enable good practice, rather than hinder it. Strongly rooted in a shared critical perspective, Graeme's rallying call for wider social change is directed at managers and policymakers but also those workers who need support with clearly articulating how they can be best supported.