‘Care’ and Its Ethical Dimensions in the Youth Justice Professional Relationship

• In Event: Roundtable: Youth, Substance Abuse, and Interventions

Abstract

‘Care’ is often not a concept that we associate with the youth justice context. The child ‘offenders’ in its midst are simultaneously seen as both highly vulnerable and undeserving of compassion. Yet, emerging scholarship across social work and youth work suggests that ‘care’ lies at the heart of effective and ethical practice. However, a central observation of this literature is that anxieties about the ‘dark side’ of care, in which it is oppressive and harmful, have meant that 'care' in professional – child relationships is seen as inherently suspicious, and thus often silenced and discouraged. In stark contrast to the above fields, 'care' has received scarce attention in the youth justice literature. This paper will present the findings of a 12-month ethnographic study on the contours of ‘care’ and its ethical dimensions in professional relationships in the youth justice realm. The study involves interviews with children and practitioners in an English youth offending team, observations of relational practice, case file analysis and participatory work with children. The study applies the novel framework of care ethics, a strand of moral philosophy, which prioritises caring relations and an appreciation of context in decision-making, but simultaneously advocates the ‘moral scrutiny’ and evaluation of ‘care’.

Author

• Alexandra Wigzell, University of Cambridge