Moral panics relating to young people, anti-social behaviour and crime have become increasingly common in developed societies across the globe (Kelly, 2000; Aitkens, 2001; Muncie, 2004; Waiton, 2008). It has been argued that school socialisation based upon the presence of authoritarian structures has the potential to reinforce vulnerable young people’s antagonistic worldviews (Maruna, 2001; Deuchar, 2010). In turn, this type of socialisation can bolster young people’s disconnection from mainstream society and their involvement in sub-cultural groupings such as gangs. Hence, conventional wisdom tells us that the converse is also the case, and that democratic, participative approaches to formal education can play a central role in encouraging pro-social behaviour and discouraging a propensity towards social disaffection, anti-social behaviour and crime (Deuchar, 2010). Cognisant of these views, the role of schools has been central to New Labour policies in promoting social justice within the UK over the past thirteen years, with the issue of school discipline and behaviour management high on the political agenda (Hayden et al., 2007). In Scotland, the core components of the Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) agenda focus on the need for inter-agency approaches to improving outcomes for young people (Scottish Executive, 2006). Indeed, there has been an increasing recognition of the need to draw upon the potential of youth work to re-engage disaffected young people, and the need to create positive partnerships between teachers and youth workers as a means of enabling young people to reach their full potential (Youthlink/LTS, 2009).

The current research sought to identify which factors within an informal education (youth work) and schools partnership are critical in working with young people who have become disengaged with the educational process. It aimed to evaluate the contribution that informal, youth work approaches make to the experiences of disaffected pupils within a formal education setting, and to ascertain the impact that an inter-agency youth work/schools diversionary programme can have on improving educational outcomes and re-engaging young people with a history of engaging in anti-social behaviour.

Aitkens, S. C. (2001) 'Schoolyard shootings: racism, sexism, and moral panics over teen violence', Antipode 33: 593-606. Deuchar, R. (2010) 'Prevention through formal and informal education', in M. Herzog-Evans (ed.) Transnational Criminology Manual. Netherlands: Wolf Legal Publishers. Hayden, C.; Williamson, T. and Webber, R. (2007) 'Schools, pupil behaviour and young offenders', British Journal of Criminology 47: 293-310. Kelly, P. (2000) 'The dangerousness of youth-at-risk: the possibilities of surveillance and intervention in uncertain times', Journal of Adolescence, Special Issue; Adolescents and Risk-Taking 23: 463-476. Maruna, S. (2001) 'Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild their Lives. Washington DC: American Psychological Association. Muncie, J. (2004) Youth and Crime. London: Sage. Scottish Executive (2006) Getting It Right for Every Child: Implementation Plan. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive. Waiton, S. (2008) The Politics of Anti-Social Behaviour: Amoral Panics. London: Routledge. YouthLink / Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) (2009) Bridging the Gap: Improving Outcomes for Scotland’s Young People through School and Youth Work Partnerships. Edinburgh/Glasgow: YouthLink Scotland/LTS.