ABSTRACT
This book has reviewed our understanding of youth, the ways in which the transitions of youth have been affected by recent social and economic changes in Britain, and the legal and social policy context in which young people’s welfare is determined. We have employed two major concepts to aid our understanding of these issues. First, we have described youth transitions in terms of career —status sequences through which young people pass between childhood and adulthood. The use of this concept enables us to examine the ways in which the major transitions of youth are shaped both by the structures of opportunity open to young people, and the decisions they, and others around them, make as they move from one status to another. It has been argued that it is particularly important for social policy to concentrate attention upon career rather than trajectory. This is not to deny the profound influence of social and economic f forces in shaping the life chances of young people-indeed, much of this book has outlined their fundamental importance. To concentrate attention on career, however, does offer an insight into areas of policy development which might change decision-making processes of both young people and those around them and thereby potentially change career outcomes.
