Resources: Quick guide to ... detached youth work

1. Detached work is a way of building relationships with young people on their territory. Usually that means on the streets, on estates, in arcades, pubs, parks or wherever they hang out. Historically, it was thought of as work with the "unattached" or the "unclubbables" - those who didn't fit or were barred from mainstream youth provision. More recent terms might include disengaged, at risk or socially excluded.

2. It shouldn't be a knee-jerk response to local political pressure to "do something" about a group of visible young people. Detached work is about the careful building of relationships with young people, some of whom may be mistrustful and have years of negative experiences of adult contact. It is not the youth work version of a rapid response team designed to clear the streets of antisocial behaviour.

3. If a project is setting up in a new area, a period of familiarisation and observation, often called reconnaissance, is usually carried out. The aim is to get under the skin of the area, see what really is going on, and put the detached team's resources where they will be best used. The trick is not to work with the first group you come across.

4. Detached work is not about delivering a pre-planned range of activities. Vulnerable young people tend not to be ready to engage with organised activities. If they were, you could skip the detached work and just give them a leaflet or send a text message. The emphasis is more likely to be on building trust and creatively building on young people's needs.

5. Detached work is demanding. It requires commitment and perseverance. Workers need to be fast-thinking, flexible and not easily rebuffed. They have to expect a low level of client satisfaction, especially in the early days of a project. That can change and detached work can end up being one of the most rewarding and professionally satisfying forms of youth work.

6. Safety is an issue, as there are obvious dangers of evening work in insecure places. Conflict can be part of street life. Workers are likely to be met with taunts and hostile gestures - which include violence and threats. They need good risk assessment, emergency plans, and good managerial support and back up. A base for a regular cup of tea can be welcome too.

7. It is sometimes differentiated from outreach work, which is taken to refer to street-based work that brings young people into a building-based service. But there is nothing to stop the detached work relationship leading some of the young people to join in building-based activities. In fact, it is often said that one of the main recommendations following detached work projects is that young people need a place to go.