The Quintessence of Relationship-Based Youth Work and Temperament of Youth Workers

Abstract

The professionality of youth work has long been questioned and challenged. This study examined the social work relationship of youth worker with young people in the context of Hong Kong. Youth service setting was adopted as a showcase of relationship-based social work practice. The understanding of relationship can be easily distorted by the pragmatic focus of practice, yet, it should not only be regarded as a means for youth workers to get in touch with service users. A qualitative inquiry with heuristic direction was chosen. Personal perceptions and particular stories of 10 senior practitioners were gathered as a form of knowledge through in-depth interviews and a rigorous process of coding, data analysis, and interpretation. Findings suggested that trustworthiness in social work relationship was highly valued. Youth workers did not consider themselves as experts in dealing with young people’s problem. Rather, they possessed multiple roles and were able to manage the interplay of relationships and boundaries in a close and highly charged intersubjective encounter. This study summarized a list of necessary qualities of a youth worker, namely curiosity, genuineness, sensitivity, perspicacity, non-authoritarian, acceptance, and charisma. Youth workers should possess these specific characteristics in order to engage in a voluntary and trustful social work relationship with young people despite working under the current therapeutic trend in social work. Both the youth work in Hong Kong and the function of youth workers had to be thoughtfully repositioned so as to respond to the changing needs of young people and the society nowadays.

Keywords:

• Hong Kong
• professionalism
• relationship-based practice
• youth work
• youth worker qualities and roles

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all the youth workers who generously participated in this study. This study could never have been achieved without their enthusiastic response and active involvement.

Author notes

This article represents a portion of a dissertation submitted by the author to The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for a Degree of Doctor of Social Work.