The distinctive contribution of youth and community work to the promotion of young people’s sexual health: a case-study

The central government intervention in the 'curriculum' of the youth service via a series of Ministerial conferences in the late 80s and early 90s was partially predicated on the identification of 'what is it that youth work can uniquely offer?' (National Youth Agency, undated). The Labour Minister with responsibility for the Youth Service, Kim Howells, has recently echoed this requirement to demonstrate a distinctive role for youth work as a condition of bringing the service onto a statutory footing (Young People Now, 1998).