The list of targets to be met has lengthened, whether in schools, hospitals, or now, youth services. Targets are used by politicians - and HM Treasury - to steer services towards the outcomes they seek from their investment.
They are indirect managerialism and, since managing youth services is akin to herding cats, the idea of targets sits uneasily in youth work.
Three unique targets for local authority services were put forward in Resourcing Excellent Youth Services, plus a few 'cross-cutting' targets towards which youth services are expected to contribute.
The three unique targets concern the youth population to be served and desired outcomes - by services overall, not necessarily by each individual worker. The first target - "reach 25 per cent of people aged 13 to 19 with a locally agreed figure for those at risk" - tries to steer youth services towards the more disadvantaged. Youth services often resist such targeting, claiming to be open to all. But services directly provided by local authorities have long been focused on areas of socio-economic disadvantage or particular social issues. It is surely social justice that the benefits of youth work should be available to those who could gain most from them.
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