So is it a problem? It shouldn't be, according to John Freeman, director of children's services at Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and joint president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services, provided it doesn't leave people in ignorance and isolation. There might be a gap between rhetoric and reality, he admits. But he insists that for his authority, and those of most of his colleagues, "youth work is central to what we are about".
When pushed, Freeman reckons "the best youth work practice is hard-edged, challenging to young people and helps them change their lives". But he is equally eager to spell out that his mission is to break down the stereotypes of what different professions do. Improving outcomes for children and young people is what matters. Sometimes an adolescent will get on well with a teacher and not the youth worker, or vice versa, says Freeman. "It doesn't matter a jot, provided they relate to somebody."
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