Quality youth work rests on the relationship of worker to young person and conversation between the two. The positive leisure-time activities and structured training Williamson mentions don't necessarily squeeze youth work - they provide venues for it.
Youth work has long got away with not being closely monitored because it's taken very little public money. If we want investment we have to expect monitoring. Youth workers need to get better at negotiating this and finding effective ways of measuring our worth.
I am worried that the depth of mistrust of management or policy, and the demand that we show our work is achieving something, is going to kill off traditional youth work. If we want to defend youth work, we need to be working with, not against, government and funders.
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