research in practice

Introduction

I would that there were no age between 10 and 23, or that youth would sleep out the rest; for there’s nothing in between but getting wenches with child, wronging the ancientry, stealing, fighting...
Shakespeare. The Winter’s Tale Act III

 ‘Adolescence is, in and of itself, a period of risk’. A powerful combination of biological, psychological and social changes make adolescents more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviours than children or adults and these changes contribute to both opportunities for healthy growth and the risk of negative outcomes (Calkins 2010: 213). Experimentation and impulsive behaviour are part of normal teenage experience and the majority of young people navigate these challenges with support and emerge as functional adults. However, the interaction of individual, family and environmental factors can greatly increase both a young person’s vulnerability to risk and the potential consequences of risk taking.

This topic of this briefing was nominated by strategic managers through the research in practice website. There are many directions in which we could take an investigation of these themes. We begin here by looking at the concept of ‘risk taking’ and then outline some recent research on developmental aspects of adolescence. We go on to scan research and policy material on the impact of maltreatment on adolescents, the effective safeguarding of young people including messages from Serious Case Reviews, and on managing risk and promoting resilience. We then look at key messages from two strong practice approaches – Social Pedagogy and Multisystemic Therapy (MST). Practice points and emerging practice examples are highlighted for the development of services and frontline practice. Throughout we have included links to relevant papers and other sources of information on topics touched upon here.

The concept of risk-taking

In working with children and young people there are many contexts in which risk is a central consideration. In this briefing we focus on risk-taking behaviours and activities which expose young people to a range of negative outcomes. Combinations of factors in a young persons’ ‘social ecology’- their families, peer groups, school or community environment – increase the likelihood that they will be exposed to risk or engage in risk-taking activities. In other words, ‘risky’ behaviours may be precipitated by risk factors. Running away, for instance, may be seen as taking one risk to escape another (such as maltreatment at home).

We need to identify the most promising means of engaging with young people in order to divert them from behaviours that are placing them at risk. The challenge of working effectively with young people is increased by the fact that many service approaches and structures were designed for use with children, while young people’s needs and experiences are very different.