ABSTRACT
In this chapter we will look at the values underpinning a rights-based approach to work with young people and explore the contradictions and difficulties in putting these values into practice when working with very marginalised young people. One key plank of social policy is the creation of an inclusive society which clarifies what citizenship means for all stakeholders (Kelly et al. 1997). We argue that a rightsbased approach can enable practice with young people to be inclusive at a time when young people continue to be crudely categorised by policy makers and the media as either deserving or deviant. This is reflected in current debates about young people’s behaviour in schools, in the application of criminal justice legislation and about their position in the labour market. For young people labelled as irresponsible, no hopers or different, the focus of attention is on their deficiencies and lack of responsibility, not on their marginality or the impact of structural inequalities on their individual lives.
