Narrative-Inspired Youth Care Work Within a Community Agency

Abstract

This article is the outcome of a series of conversations about narrative practice with a team of program managers working in a multiservice agency dedicated to assisting homeless youth and youth at risk of becoming homeless. It explores how a narrative approach can inform daily youth work practices and the supervision of youth care staff in residential, educational, prevention, and clinical settings. A narrative framework can assist youth care workers to create more intentional practice and to align structures, policies, and staff functions in ways that assist youth to move beyond problematic identity stories (defining negative narratives about themselves) to preferred ways of being. Specifically, this article discusses how a narrative framework can affect everyday practices such as staff meetings, report writing, interviewing, intake procedures, informal contact with youth, and limit setting in a youth care setting.