Street Work Methodology

There is no great mystery about Streetwork. Streetwork is fundamentally underpinned by good youth work practice. Many of the skills used in streetwork can be found in most if not any youth setting. What separates Street work from normal youth work practice is that it takes place on the Streets and not in any of the settings normally associated with youth work. Also, the worker becomes the resource, as opposed to the resources normally found in youth clubs.

Street Work is also known as Detached Youth Work.

"Detached Youth Work is a model of youth work practice, targeted at vulnerable young people, which takes place on young people's territory such as streets, cafes, parks and pubs at times that are appropriate to them and on their terms. It begins from where young people are in terms of their values, attitudes, issues and ambitions and is concerned with their personal and social development."
(Thinking On Your Feet)

Street Work is a particular methodology, often undertaken with young people who do not normally access mainstream youth provision due to lack of awareness (of services available), as a result of exclusion, or services provided lack an attractive dimension or a point of interest. It is in many ways a response to the changing face of youth provision when the youth centre was the main focus of delivery. It is an attempt to engage young people on their own terms, in their own natural environment and on their own territory (which gives them power and ownership) with a view to further involving them in other work.

It stems also from the belief that if we can't draw young people in then we must go out and get them. This is also founded on the assumption that there is a reason for wanting to do this. In our case, there is a need to engage young people on the streets in the Greater Shantallow area because the vast majority do not access existing provision and among those who see the streets as their natural habitat there is a core who are likely to engage in antisocial and risk taking behaviour which ultimately has a negative effect on them and the wider community.

The benefits of Street Work cannot be underestimated. Because of its natural environment, young people have greater freedom of choice when engaging with workers, there are less rules to govern behaviour and therefore this tends to lend itself to creating a more open and honest dialogue between the young person and the worker. The workers face greater challenges as they only have themselves to depend on in terms of making engagement effective, valuable and positive. Those on the streets are more likely or at least greater risk of becoming involved in antisocial behaviour and therefore there is a greater opportunity to develop relationships with these young people in the hope of broadening not only their understanding of the impact of their behaviour but the positive alternatives open to them.

Click here for a copy of Off the Streets Street Work Guidelines