Ethical Practice in Professional Youth Work: Perspectives from Four Countries

ABSTRACT

Ethical youth work is ‘good' youth work but how do youth work practitioners collectively determine what is ‘good'? This article presents findings from four-country surveys of youth workers' attitudes and understandings of what constitutes ‘good', that is to say ‘ethical’ practice. The article presents the principles that youth workers say underpin ethical practice in Australia, Estonia, Iceland, and Ireland. The first three countries have well established Codes of Ethics and/or Practice and Professional Associations, while Ireland does not. A survey of youth work practitioners funded by Erasmus Plus, was conducted across the four countries (n = 405). A comparative analysis of data across countries revealed consensus around key characteristics of youth work practice such as the participation, empowerment, and safety of young people. These core principles form the basis of good and ethical action by practitioners. In countries which have codified these principles, these Codes were reported to be useful tools to support practitioners in their work. The survey further suggests that reflective practice is important in the application of ethical codes to concrete practice situations acting as a form of collective accountability and praxis. To conclude, we consider the implications of these findings for professionalism, and professionalisation in youth work nationally and internationally.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethics
• code
• youth work
• reflective practice
• professionalisation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This article was developed from research funded by the Erasmus + programme.

Notes on contributors

I. E. Rannala

Dr I. E. Rannala is Associate Professor of Youth Work Management and Head of Youth Work Management MA Programme at Tallinn University. Her background is in social work. Her research interest focuses on non-formal learning in youth work and professional development of youth workers. She is an active member of the Estonian Association of Youth Workers.

J. Gorman

Dr J. Gorman is a Research Fellow at Victoria University and an adjunct researcher at Maynooth University. His research and practice interests lie at the intersections of youth and community work, social pedagogy, environmental social movements, climate justice and climate policymaking

H. Tierney

Dr H. Tierney is Associate Professor and Programme Lead for Community and Youth Work at the Maynooth University’s Department of Applied Social Studies. Hilary's teaching and research interests focus on youth work/global youth work theory and practice, professional identity formation, supervision, ethics in action, critical pedagogy, and informal/ non-formal learning in youth work.

Á. Guðmundsson

Á. Guðmundsson, MA, is a Lecturer and youth researcher, and a Phd student in the Faculty of Sport, Leisure Studies and Social Education and The Centre for Research in Childhood and Youth at the University of Iceland. His research area is social pedagogy, in the field of youth work, open youth work, youth clubs and youth centres. Arni was CEO of the Youth Department in Hafnarfjordur city and is one of the founders of SAMFÉS Association of Youth Clubs in Iceland and was chair of UFN Association of Youth Clubs in The Nordic countries.

J. Hickey

Dr J. Hickey is a Senior Lecturer and Course Chair of the Bachelor of Youth Work at Victoria University. Her research area and practice expertise are in the areas of disability access and community inclusion, young people’s rights, ethical practice frameworks and Youth Work education.

T. Corney

Dr T. Corney is a Professor in the College of Arts and Education and Head of Youth and Community Programs at Victoria University. His teaching, supervision and research interests include human rights, youth policy, youth transitions, education and social pedagogy, vocational and apprenticeship training, young workers and professional youth and community work practice. He is a co-chair of the professional association Youth Workers Australia and coauthor of the code of ethical practice.