The art of ethics in youth work

Aims of the tool

Objective 1: The role of the ethical codes (standards and frameworks) in supporting quality youth work in the selected countries (Australia, Estonia, and Serbia).

Objective 2: to identify the types of relations addressed and look into how these codes of ethics influence relations of youth work with other practices and professions that work with young people in the selected countries (Australia, Estonia, and Serbia).

Objective 3: to investigate the support systems for implementing the ethical codes in the selected countries (Australia, Estonia, and Serbia).

Objective 4: to identify common discussion points that will facilitate knowledge transfer among the partners involved in this project and help draft preliminary Europe-wide guidelines for the development of
ethical youth work practice and policy.

Furthermore, the research aspires to serve as a starting point for reflection on ethical standards and how they support the development of quality youth work practice and policy in Europe. This resonates with the Final Declaration of the 3rd European Youth Work Convention.
This demonstrates a lack of quality standards and the recognition and validation of European youth work. Likewise, the European Youth Work Agenda, a strategic framework for strengthening and further developing youth work, calls for a Youth Work Research Agenda that implies research on the existing commonly agreed professional standards for youth workers’ education and training (e.g. competence models and frameworks, code of ethics, curriculum, etc.).

Description of the tool

The research results will be used within and outside the consortium partners to support the development of ethics in youth work. The collection of practices and approaches presented through case studies can also inspire countries that want to start shaping the framework for ethics in youth work in specific contexts. Finally, the document can be used for further research in this field in order to showcase the importance of ethics in youth work in Europe.