‘The book covers a fascinating range of theory, policy and practice research not covered elsewhere in one text. The editors are to be congratulated’ - Marian Charlton, Leeds Metropolitan University. ‘The book offers a broad overview of the issues and literature, and will be of immediate use. It enables students to bring themselves up to date with contemporary concerns and changes in the field of community and youth work’ - Jean Spence, University of Durham. This authoritative text is a must-read for anyone working - or training to work - with young people. It considers how theory, policy and practice intersect and influence one another in today’s challenging and rapidly changing social, economic and political contexts. Offering a timely contribution to the debate, it covers key themes and developments, including: how we understand the lives of young people; the principles that underpin work with young people; the policy and practice in a wide range of contexts, both national and international; and, the key concepts currently high on the policy and practice agenda. An essential companion for the professional training of youth workers, this core text will also be of interest and value to students in a wide range of fields such as education, criminology and youth justice, social work, sociology and social policy.