Bridge-builders’ and ‘boundary spanners’
A qualitative study of youth workers’ perceptions of their roles and practices with vulnerable young people in school-based settings
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13899225 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tim Corney (0000-0002-1980-6835, Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities (ISILC), Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia), John Gorman (0000-0002-5153-2045, Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities (ISILC), Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia, corresponding author), Brett Woods (0000-0003-1580-4258, Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities (ISILC), Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia), Noah Benedict (Victoria University), Alexandra Law (0000-0002-1246-1301, Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities (ISILC), Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2024-08-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Adolescence and Youth (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0267-3843 • E-ISSN: 2164-4527 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02673843.2024.2387080 |
| OpenAlex | W4401650431 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 28 |
This paper presents a qualitative study of 22 youth workers’ perceptions of their roles and practices in seven school-based settings in a large post-industrial city in regional Australia. Youth workers are often engaged in school-based settings working with vulnerable young people, yet knowledge of how workers perceive and conceptualize their role and practice in these settings remains limited. Through focus group interviews, youth workers were asked how they engage, and work with vulnerable students, how they conceptualize their roles and the bodies of knowledge to which those practices and roles pertain. We find that youth work in school-based settings requires the dynamic and non-linear application of the practices of youth accompaniment, family support and youth-centred advocacy, underpinned by respect for the dignity, autonomy and agency of the young person. We argue that the complex application of these practices positions youth workers as ‘bridge-builders’ and ‘boundary-spanners’. Bridge-builders assist young people to connect and engage with support services. Boundary-spanners build relationships across service providers to network different organizations and professionals for better collaboration and support of young people. These findings have implications for youth policy and practice in the area of youth work with vulnerable young people in school-based settings
Agency (philosophy · Autonomy · Bridge (graph theory · Developmental psychology · Dignity · Focus group · Perception · Political science · Positive Youth Development · Public relations · Qualitative research · Service (business · Service provider · Sociology · Work (physics · Youth studies · Youth work · Child Welfare and Adoption · Engineering · Medicine · Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice · Youth Development and Social Support
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| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |