ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the role of measurement in work with young people, and why it should be a shared agenda. It explores the wider context and the growing emphasis on evidencing impact. The chapter looks at some of the challenges of "measuring" personal and social development, and offers some guidance on translating theory into practice. Individuals and organisations involved in funding and/or commissioning, organising and delivering such services need to know the outcomes that matter and the difference services are making to the lives of young people. Developing a theory of change can be a positive transformative experience for those involved, and is also very effective at bringing together different stakeholders—face to face practitioners, managers, funders, parents, and young people themselves. Young people are living, learning, and negotiating transitions to adulthood and independence in an increasingly complex and challenging world, in which they face greater levels of choice and opportunity, but also unprecedented uncertainty and risk.
