Is this a myth cultivated by youth workers opposed to crime-reduction initiatives that single out individuals for "special" treatment? Or do teenagers really work the system this way?
Either way, it muddies the waters when assessing the respective roles of these two strands of work with young people.
Splash may represent "a group of people with mutual loathing who come together in pursuit of funding" (YPN, 4-10 June, p12), but, increasingly, it is looking like a framework for the future of youth-related services.
And if statutory services are defensive, the agenda may be taken out of their hands.
In 2001, David Blunkett, then secretary of state for education and employment, said: "There are few better ways of delivering change than through good youth work." But his focus has veered towards cutting crime now he is Home Secretary.
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