In the current policy, commissioning and delivery environments for services aimed at improving the lives of children and their families, increasing priority is placed on the ability to measure and demonstrate the effectiveness of social welfare intervention. This is particularly acute for voluntary sector services that increasingly provide services on behalf of local authorities and operate in a highly competitive environment in which the ability to demonstrate effectiveness and value for money can ultimately determine survival. However, social welfare intervention is delivered in the context of complex social systems in which a multiplicity of factors interplay between those individuals who are managing, providing and using social services. This complexity presents significant methodological challenges in terms of understanding the effect of intervention on individuals’ lives. Often the pressures to produce highly aggregated data about outcomes mean that the experience and the voice of those using services is overlooked and the connection between data and lived experience is lost. This thesis describes the evaluation of an approach to measuring outcomes known as Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS). This places the service user at the heart of measuring outcomes whilst collecting data that can be used to evaluate effectiveness within a service, or comparatively between services, or between service user groups. The approach was implemented with practitioners and young people within the context of a leaving care support service provided by a voluntary sector service. The GAS implementation was evaluated using a realist research strategy in order to understand the ways in which a complex policy and operating environment interplayed with the challenging contexts of transition for young people and their heterogeneous pathways in leaving care. For a variety of reasons, explained within this thesis, participation levels in the trial were low and therefore quantitative data regarding outcomes was too limited to be conclusive. Nevertheless the study represents a useful pilot of this approach and highlights the importance of context in determining results when introducing new approaches to outcomes measurement into practice environments. The findings that emerge from the evaluation betray a concerning picture of the pressures and constraints on practice experienced by a large leaving care service in the current climate of cuts to local authority funding and statutory services. As opposed to being an independent or somewhat removed undertaking, this study was concerned to frame ‘evaluation’ and ‘outcomes measurement’ as participatory and reflexive activities that should be embedded within service delivery. By so doing, it aimed to facilitate reciprocal or ‘bi-directional’ learning between providers and the users of services to underpin interventions, particularly with vulnerable populations of service users. Given that the support provided by leaving care services may represent the last intervention before young people disappear from the system’s view, this is particularly significant in supporting them to develop agency and self-determination to take them through the often compressed and accelerated journeys that characterise adolescence for this group.

Mobbning är ett stort globalt problem som har förekommit länge bland ungdomar. Syftet med denna föreliggande studie är att undersöka hur psykisk hälsa, tobak, alkohol och droganvändning samt föräldrabarnkommunikation relaterar till mobbning. Studien avser att kontrollera bakgrundsvariabler såsom kön, etnicitet och trivsel i området man bor i. Följande frågeställningar formulerades: (a) Finns det något samband mellan psykisk hälsa, tobak, alkohol och droganvändning, föräldrabarnkommunikation och mobbning? (b) Hur relaterar psykisk hälsa, tobak, alkohol och droganvändning, föräldrabarnkommunikation till mobbning samtidigt som kön, etnicitet och trivsel i området man bor i kontrolleras? För att studera detta område har vi använt oss av kvantitativ ansats med material från LoRDIA (Longitudinal Research on Development In Adolescence) studie 2015. I studien ingick det 1324 elever från två små och två medelstora städer i Jönköpings och Västra Götalands län i Sverige. Resultatet indikerar att det finns ett statistiskt signifikant samband mellan mobbning, psykisk hälsa, tobak alkohol och droganvändning, samt föräldrabarnkommunikation. Det mest intressanta resultatet i studien visar att det finns en signifikant skillnad mellan pojkar och flickors mobbningsbeteende och vad som predicerar det. Pojkar är mer involverade i mobbning än flickor och deras mobbningsbeteende prediceras av tobak, alkohol, och droganvändning och föräldrabarnkommunikation samt upplevd trivsel i bostadsområdet medan flickors mobbning relaterar till psykisk hälsa, föräldrabarnkommunikation, etnicitet och upplevd trivsel i området. / Bullying is a major global problem that is prevalent among young people. The aim of the present study is to investigate mental health and tobacco, alcohol and drug use and child disclosure related to bullying. The study intended to verify background variables such as gender, ethnicity and enjoyment of the area one lives in. The following questions were formulated: (a) Is there any connection between mental health, tobacco, alcohol and drug use, child disclosure and bullying? (b) How does bullying relate to mental health, tobacco, alcohol and drug use and child disclosure while controlling for gender, ethnicity and enjoyment of the area? To study this area, we used a quantitative approach with material from the LoRDIA (Longitudinal Research on Development In Adolescence) study in 2015. The study included 1324 students from two small and two medium-sized cities in Jönköping’s and Västra Götaland’s county in southern Sweden. The result indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship between bullying, mental health, tobacco, alcohol and drug use, as well as child disclosure. The most interesting result of the study shows that there is a significant difference between boys and girls bullying behavior: Boys are more involved in bullying than girls, and their bullying behavior is predicted by tobacco, alcohol, and drug use and child disclosure and perceived enjoyment of the area they live in, while girls bullying related to mental health, child disclosure, ethnicity and enjoyment of the area they live in.

Syftet med den här studien var att ta reda hur familjehemsföräldrar upplever sitt uppdrag och det ansvar som uppdraget medför, vad som ger familjehemsföräldrar drivkraften att fortsätta med uppdragen, samt vilken känslomässig relation familjehemsföräldrar upplever att de får till de placerade barnen. Studien består av sex intervjuer med olika typer av familjehem, varav fem enskilda intervjuer och en parintervju. Det insamlade materialet analyserades med innehållsanalys. Tre teman framträdde i resultatet vilka var: Uppdraget som familjehem, varför familjehem och vardag som familjehem. Resultatet analyserades sedan utifrån tidigare forskning samt Antonovskys begrepp känsla av sammanhang, KASAM, och Bowlbys anknytningsteori. Resultatet visade att familjehemmen har olika synsätt beroende på hur länge de har varit familjehem, vilken typ av placeringar de haft och har, men framförallt av vilken anledning familjehemmet blev familjehem från början. / The purpose of this study was to figure out how foster parents view their task and the responsibilities that the task entails, what gives foster parents motivation to continue with the mission, as well as what kind of emotional attachment the foster parents experience they get to the placed children. This study consists of six interviews, of which five of them were individual and one pair interview. The gathered material was analyzed from content analysis. Three themes emerged in the results which were: The mission as a foster family, why foster family and the everyday of foster families. The results were then analyzed through previous research along with Antonovskys concept sense of coherence, SOC and Bowlbys attachment theory. The results showed that foster families have different views depending on how long they have been foster families, what kind of children they’ve had but above all, what motivated them to start a foster family.

This paper describes a qualitative study of upper-secondary students’ experiences of having dyslexia in the school environment. The purpose was to examine which positive and negative experiences they have had in school and how they experienced the support given. We also wanted to find out how they have felt about being diagnosed with dyslexia and whether/in what way the formal diagnosis changed their situation. We conducted semi structured interviews with seven upper-secondary students with dyslexia, and through interpretative phenomenological analysis came up with three themes. The results show that through time and experience the students learn to understand themselves and their difficulties better, but that they need support in this process. The study also points to the importance of students with dyslexia getting support by teachers who have knowledge of the disability and can offer the right kind of support, but who also see the students as individuals. Lastly, we found that in the students’ experience the best learning situation was offered to them in a smaller context outside the regular classroom setting. We draw three conclusions from our analysis: firstly, that it is important that teachers have a deep knowledge of dyslexia so as to individualize instruction. Secondly, that students need useful information about their disability on more than one occasion, and lastly, that mainstreaming isn’t always the best alternative for the student. We would welcome more research om how students receive information about their dyslexia and more studies on how to best organize special needs education, especially from a student perspective.

Cette recherche explore l'intégration professionnelle des Jeunes à Faible Capital Scolaire (JFCS). Cette population, constituée de jeunes âgés de 16 à 30 ans, sortis du système scolaire et ayant un niveau de formation inférieur ou équivalent au Baccalauréat professionnel, représente un défi permanent pour des secteurs comme l'industrie, le BTP ou l'hôtellerie-restauration. Les négliger peut avoir des répercussions néfastes pour l'organisation en matière de productivité, de performance économique, de climat de travail et de satisfaction de clientèle.Différents courants de recherche permettent de bâtir notre cadre conceptuel. Ainsi, la socialisation organisationnelle, les théories interactionnistes (avec le contrat psychologique et l'ajustement individu/organisation) ainsi que la construction identitaire professionnelle sont pris en compte. La recherche est ancrée dans le secteur de l'hôtellerie-restauration qui se caractérise par des conditions d'emploi et de rémunération peu favorables, un turnover deux fois supérieur aux autres secteurs et le recours à des jeunes fragiles économiquement et socialement.Une étude qualitative menée auprès d'experts et de praticiens, de conseillers de missions locales, de JFCS, de DRH et managers du secteur permet de dégager une typologie et de mettre en évidence leurs attentes. Une analyse statistique et sémantique des corpus réalisée permet l'identification de quatre profils : les « découvreurs », les « bâtisseurs », les «guetteurs » et les « stressés » dont le comportement (émotionnel rationnel), la vision (instrumentale/affective/cognitive), leur rapport au secteur (contraint/volontaire) et leur position par rapport à la clientèle présentent des spécificités. Nos résultats montrent que le capital scolaire détenu lors du recrutement est peu pris en compte par l'employeur, alors que le savoir-être acquis ex ante est particulièrement recherché.L'analyse des attentes fait ressortir six catégories de besoins : financier, de soutien, de reconnaissance, d'équilibre vie privée/vie professionnelle, d'évolution et de sens et met en lumière l'importance d'une politique RH inclusive répondant aux attentes. La discussion fait émerger la nécessité d'une meilleure articulation socialisation anticipée/entrée organisationnelle, d'une co-construction du parcours d'intégration par les différents acteurs concernés ainsi qu'une amélioration du pilotage et de l'évaluation du processus d'intégration. / This research explores representations of Young people with low educational capital implemented during their professional integration. This population consists of young people aged 16 to 30 years old, out of the school system and having a level of education equivalent to the vocational baccalaureate, a permanent challenge for sectors such as industry, construction industry or catering and hospitality. Neglect them can have a detrimental impact on the organization productivity, economic performance, climate of work and customer satisfaction.Different streams of research are used to build our conceptual framework. Thus, organizational socialization, interactionist theories (with the psychological contract and the Person-organization fit) and professional identity construction are taken into account.Research is anchored in the sector of hotels and restaurants which is characterized by poor conditions of employment and unfavorable remuneration, a turnover two times higher than other sectors and the use of economically and socially fragile young people.A qualitative study based on experts and practitioners, consultants working in local missions, young people, HRD and managers of the sector allows a typology and highlights the expectations. A statistical and semantic analysis of the corpus allows the identification of four profiles: the "discoverers", the "builders", the "spotters" and "the stressed" whose behavior (rational emotional), vision (instrumental / emotional / cognitive), relation to the sector (forced / voluntary) and position facing the customer, have specific characteristics. Our results show that the educational capital held during recruitment is not taken into account by the employer, while life skills previously acquired are particularly sought.Analysis of the expectations shows six categories of needs: financial support, recognition, work-life balance, evolution and meaning and highlights the importance of an inclusive HR policy meeting the expectations.The discussion emerged the need for better coordination organizational input/early socialization, a co-construction of the integration paths by different stakeholders as well as an improvement of the steering and evaluation of the integration process.

In Sweden the decisions that are made regarding young people who are to be prepared care are made after the law with special provisions on the care of young people (LVU) (SFS 1990:52). The aim of this study was to investigate how the court, in its grounds of law with special provisions on the care of young people, produces gender norms. The essays method was based on a qualitative content analysis and a social construction approach to highlight the grounds for reflecting their assessments in LVU cases. The purpose of the study was not to give a definitive picture of how the grounds are designed, but merely to illustrate the process of vulnerable young people in society. The study was based on 84 LVU cases including paragraph 2 and 3, which had a fall off with 19 cases. In analysis of our results, we applied previous research on the subject which contained norms´ impact on social work, youths constructed behavior out of a gender perspective, the complex going on behind the human surface and the impact of abuse in young people. We have also analyzed our results from theoretic perspectives as gender norms, parts of the socialization theory and how norms take part in the society. To illustrate how the court may have judge the young people from the genders norms in Sweden which describes how boys and girls should behave. This study found out that the differences in how the court judged boys and girls were minimal but in some cases of paragraph 3 the differences were easier to find than in paragraph 2. The most common in the results was that there were larger differences between girls and girls, boys and boys than between girls and boys. The study also showed that boys and girls that has the same social problems are assessed under different evidence. This caused that the law is therefore not used as the propositions referenced that they should have been used. This study has therefore attempt to highlight the importance of that young people that are in an exposed situation should have the same possibilities to get the help they need. The court should not rely on gender constructions in cases of the law with special provisions on the care of young people.

Criado pelo Governo Federal, em 2008, o Projovem Adolescente Serviço Socioeducativo vem sendo executado de forma descentralizada e através de parcerias que envolvem o Governo Federal e governos de administrações locais. De natureza socioeducativa, compreendemos o Projovem Adolescente como uma iniciativa pública que propõe adensar e diversificar os processos de socialização secundária e ampliar os suportes de determinados segmentos da juventude brasileira, mediante (re)inserção do jovem no sistema escolar e o oferecimento de atividades de educação não formal. A partir de inquietações profissionais da pesquisadora, o estudo visou (1) compreender os processos de implantação e implementação da versão do Projovem Adolescente Serviço socioeducativo, num território específico da cidade de Ribeirão Preto; (2) verificar os interesses e as opiniões dos sujeitos que interagiram com as atividades socioeducativas e ainda; (3) levantar as contribuições daquela iniciativa pública aos jovens homens e mulheres que tiveram interesse em acessar e fruir das ações educativas de natureza não formal ou não escolar sob a perspectiva da socialização secundária e dos suportes. O estudo é de natureza qualitativa, no qual realizamos levantamento e leitura de obras pertinentes às temáticas centrais da pesquisa, formulamos e aplicamos questionário estruturado com 47 jovens que participaram das atividades socioeducativas do Projovem nos anos de 2008 a 2012, realizamos entrevistas semiestruturadas com quatro (4) profissionais representantes da geração adulta que interagiram com aqueles jovens; e investimos em atividades de observação. O conjunto dos dados obtidos por meio dos procedimentos mencionados foi analisado, a partir de referências situadas nos domínios das Ciências Sociais. Os resultados indicaram que as etapas de implantação e desenvolvimento dos Coletivos socioeducativos do Projovem Adolescente em diferentes bairros de Ribeirão Preto, especialmente no bairro Quintino II, foram marcadas por problemas de diferentes ordens: estruturais, de recursos humanos, e dificuldades dos responsáveis diretos em estabelecer parcerias com os setores municipais e demais instituições, em especial com os gestores das unidades escolares. Já os resultados da aplicação dos questionários, da observação e das interações com os sujeitos jovens, demonstraram que o poder público local não proporcionou espaços e condições adequadas para os jovens viverem a condição juvenil com qualidade. Ao ingressar nas atividades socioeducativas da Estação do Alto, no bairro Quintino II, os jovens buscavam ampliar as opções de socialização secundária, principalmente aquelas direcionadas à capacitação para a inserção no trabalho formal, de acesso às atividades culturais, de lazer e ocupação do tempo livre e adensar a rede de amizades. Para os jovens que permaneceram nas atividades socioeducativas da Estação do Alto, eles tiveram suas experiências juvenis mais diversificadas, pois puderam expandir os quadros socializadores e contar com o suporte possibilitado pelas interações intergeracionais e o grupo de pares. Por outro lado, os jovens que não permaneceram nas atividades do Projeto, relataram que se desinteressaram pelas atividades educativas em virtude de sua fragilidade, por que não viram suas necessidades ou demandas contempladas, por que encontraram na esfera do trabalho, no matrimônio, na maternidade ou no mundo do ilícito outras referências significativas e socializadoras. / Created by the Federal Government in 2008, the Projovem Adolescente Socio-educational Service project has been carried out in a decentralized manner and through partnerships which involve the Federal Government and local administration governments. Socio-educational in its nature, we understand the Projovem Adolescente project as a public initiative which aims to intensify and diversify the secondary socialization processes and amplify support to certain layers of the Brazilian youth, through (re)insertion of the young subjects into the educational system and the provision of non-formal educational activities. Based on professional observations and inquiries from the researcher, this study aimed to (1) understand the processes of implantation and implementation of the version of the Projovem Adolescente Socio-educational Service project, in a specific territory of the city of Ribeirão Preto; (2) verify the interests and opinions of the subjects that interacted with the projects socio-educational activities and; (3) bring up the contributions of this public initiative to young people men and women who were interested in taking part and enjoying the non-formal educational actions under the perspective of support and the secondary socialization. The study has a qualitative nature, and in it we reviewed and studied the literature concerning the core themes of the research, formulated and applied a structured questionnaire with 47 young people who participed in the socio-educacional activities of Projovem between the years 2008 and 2012, we conducted semi-structured interviews with four (4) professionals representatives of the adult generation who interacted with the young people, and we invested in observation activities. The data collected by means of the aforementioned procedures were analyzed from references placed in the domain of the Social Sciences. The results indicated who that the stages of implementation and development of the socio-educational Collectives of the Projovem Adolescente project in different neighborhoods of Ribeirão Preto, specially Quintino II, showed important problems of different natures: structure, human resources, and difficulties of those directly in charge in establishing partnerships with city offices and other institutions, specially school unit principals. On the other hand, the results of the questionnaires, the observations and the interactions with the young subjects demonstrated that local government did not provide adequate space and conditions for young people to live juvenile condition with quality. Entering in the socio-educational activities of the Estação do Alto, in the Quintino II neighborhood, young people made an effort to broaden their options of secondary socialization, especially those aimed at the preparation for work-market inclusion, cultural activity and leisure access, free time activities, and friendship network improvement. For young people who remained in socio-educational activities at the Estação do Alto, they had more diverse youth experiences, because they were able to broaden their socializing scenes and count on the support provided by the intergenerational group of peers. On the other hand, young people who did not remain in the project activities stated lack of interest for the educational activities due to their weakness, because they didnt see their needs or demands satisfied, or because they found in the work environment, in matrimony, in maternity or in the sphere of illegality other significant and socializing references.

Os jovens contemporâneos possuem características diversas, que ao vivenciarem, procuram uma identificação. E são esses jovens que estão presentes no dia a dia das escolas e que, na maioria das vezes, passam despercebidos. A pesquisa trata da categoria juventude e suas relações com o ensino de Geografia, pois se compreende que este pode contribuir de forma significativa, quando o professor busca conhecer seu alunado e a partir daí procura fazer uma interação entre o conhecimento prévio dos alunos e o conhecimento científico do professor. Teve-se como objetivo analisar os sentidos que os jovens alunos da Educação Profissional Integrada ao Ensino Médio atribuem ao ensino de Geografia. O referencial teórico utilizado buscou dialogar com os três eixos da pesquisa: a ciência geográfica, a categoria juventude e o ensino de Geografia. Para alcançar os objetivos propostos foi construído um amplo questionário (com perguntas estruturadas e semi estruturadas), o qual foi dividido em três partes: a) caracterização dos jovens participantes da pesquisa; b) os jovens e suas relações com ensino de Geografia e; c) os jovens e suas relações com a escola e a cidade. A pesquisa foi realizada em 2017, no Campus Porto Nacional do Instituto Federal do Tocantins e o questionário (com as questões estruturadas) foi aplicado nas três turmas de terceiro ano do ensino médio profissionalizante, e as perguntas semiestruturadas foram realizadas por meio do grupo focal, nas referidas turmas. Os resultados foram analisados posteriormente e originaram o texto final da dissertação. Revelam um indicativo de que a Geografia vem, ao longo dos anos, na busca de superar o modelo tradicional, ao tratar dos temas físicos sem desvinculá-los dos aspectos humanos da ciência. Em relação aos jovens contemporâneos, apresentam-se em suas múltiplas identidades e seus diversos pertencimentos e as escolas precisam adaptar seus currículos à realidade dos alunos para que a aprendizagem tenha sentido. Quanto ao ensino de Geografia, ficou evidente que os jovens gostam da disciplina e a reconhecem como importante para a compreensão dos problemas cotidianos. Já em relação a sua escola, os jovens têm uma boa relação, apesar de apontarem alguns fatores que os deixam insatisfeitos, reconhecem a qualidade do ensino. Quanto a sua cidade, se sentem insatisfeitos com a insegurança e a falta de lazer. Percebe-se que a vivência cotidiana dos jovens oferece uma variedade de temas que podem ser trabalhados nas aulas de Geografia e que é necessário avançar neste tipo de pesquisa, pois com as mudanças ocorridas a partir da reforma do ensino médio, novos caminhos devem ser desvendados. / Contemporary young people have different characteristics that, when experiencing, seek an identification. And it is these young people who are present in the day-to-day life of schools and who, for the most part, go unnoticed. The research deals with the youth category and its relation with the teaching of Geography, because it is understood that this can contribute significantly, when the teacher seeks to know his student and from there seeks to make an interaction between the students' previous knowledge and knowledge the teacher. The objective was to analyze the meanings that the young students of Integrated Professional Education at High School attribute to the teaching of Geography. The theoretical reference used sought to dialogue with the three axes of the research: geographic science, the youth category and the teaching of Geography. In order to reach the proposed objectives, a large questionnaire (with structured and semi structured questions) was constructed, which was divided into three parts: a) characterization of the young people participating in the research; b) young people and their relationship with teaching of Geography and; c) young people and their relations with the school and the city. The research was conducted in 2017 at the Porto Nacional Campus of the Federal Institute of Tocantins and the questionnaire (with the structured questions) was applied in the three groups of the third year of secondary vocational education, and the semi-structured questions were carried out through the focus group, in those classes. The results were analyzed later and originated the final text of the dissertation. They reveal an indication that Geography has over the years sought to overcome the traditional model by addressing physical themes without detaching them from the human aspects of science. In relation to contemporary youth, they present themselves in their multiple identities and their diverse belongings and schools need to adapt their curricula to the students' reality so that learning has meaning. As for the teaching of Geography, it was evident that young people like discipline and recognize it as important for understanding everyday problems. In relation to their school, young people have a good relationship, although they point out some factors that make them dissatisfied, they recognize the quality of teaching. As for their city, they feel dissatisfied with insecurity and lack of leisure. It is noticed that the daily life of young people offers a variety of themes that can be worked on in Geography classes and that it is necessary to move forward in this type of research, because with the changes that have occurred since high school reform, new paths must be unveiled.

In this thesis I analyse the dynamics of youth, race and rurality by considering the life experiences of young people in relation to race and racism through a small –scale study I have conducted over eight months. The study also investigates the aspirations of eight black and minority ethnic young people living in the Scottish Highlands. The study found that young people’s experiences of racism and racial microaggressions were exacerbated by a ‘conspiracy of silence’ in which institutional actors such as service providers, who are there to support and encourage young people, have knowingly, or inadvertently, contributed to undermining, marginalising and excluding black and minority ethnic young people through misunderstanding or misrecognition of experiences of racialisation in rural areas. I observed how these minority young people engaged in strategies of resistance and resilience as a prevalent response when negotiating racist experiences and racial microaggressions. It was further evident that the deficient practices of institutional actors, such as teachers, youth workers and most service providers play a tangible role in perpetuating racism and racial discrimination in the Highlands. The study recommends that to reduce bias and discrimination against black and minority ethnic pupils requires a range of strategies ranging from enhancing teacher confidence in teaching and addressing different forms of racism, a need for teachers to have training on anti-racist education and pedagogical approaches, recruitment of black and minority ethnic practitioners for different service provision, recognition and promotion of the benefits of multilingualism and opportunities for white majority pupils to have greater exposure to diversity in rural Scotland.

This PhD study explored the day to day lives of young people living in foster care in the United Kingdom. This study utilises Bourdieu’s (1986) conceptualisation of social capital, which has been described as a useful heuristic as it focuses on practices and processes (Morrow 1999) within networks. One of the original contributions of this thesis is its application of Bourdieu’s theory as an analytical framework to explore young people’s experiences of foster care. The study employed qualitative methods to gather rich, contextualised data. Ten young people, aged between twelve to fourteen years old, participated in the research and each of the participants were interviewed on two occasions. Findings are presented across three chapters and they highlight the ways young people in foster care both preserve and build their access to social capital. Firstly, this includes the ways in which the young people are actively engaged in practices to manage and preserve their relationships and as a result their access to social capital. Secondly, findings show that young people in foster care experience stigma by virtue of having the status of being ‘in- care’, and in order to minimise this, the young people actively managed their spoiled identity (Goffman 1968), which allowed them to maintain access to social capital. Thirdly, the findings show that despite the experience of disrupted networks and multiple placement moves, given the opportunity, the participants demonstrated their ability to persevere in their attempts to start again, which built their access to social capital. This thesis offers a particular utility for the discipline of social work, by providing a way of understanding and theorising how young people continually work, in both prosaic and at times heroic ways, to minimise the disruption to their relationships, networks and their subsequent access to social capital.