Youth work: the Loch Ness monster and professionalism

Like the Loch Ness monster, the subject of youth work professionalism raises its head now and then. The author outlines the arguments for and against the development of a youth work professional identity in the hope that this will stimulate debate about the future of youth work in Australia. The issue of ethics raises a related question about whether an ethical rationale exists for professionalising youth work, and whether such a rationale ought to be the primary reason for professionalisation.