The Code is for the whole youth workforce, not just qualified youth workers. If your role contributes to young people’s learning, safety or wellbeing, this Code helps you make sound, values led decisions in everyday practice.
The Youth Work Code of Ethics sets out the values, behaviours and professional standards that underpin safe, respectful and empowering work with young people. Refreshed in collaboration with youth workers and young people, it keeps Youth Work at the heart of the youth sector and supports consistent, values led practice across roles and settings.
Why this matters now
The publication of Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy sets a course for the next decade. The refreshed Code of Ethics helps ensure Youth Work leads in delivering that vision providing a practical, accessible anchor for everyone working with and for young people.
What the code emphasises
- Young people’s voice and empowerment – centre their needs, perspectives and participation
- Safety and safeguarding – create safe environments and uphold clear professional boundaries
- Inclusion and fairness (EEDIB) – challenge discrimination and promote equity in culture and practice
- Confidential, accountable practice – handle information responsibly and lawfully
- Reflection and continual learning – welcome feedback and develop skills over time
- Digital practice – apply the same care, integrity and respect online as offline
Who it’s for
The Code is for the whole youth workforce, not just qualified youth workers. If your role contributes to young people’s learning, safety or wellbeing, this Code helps you make sound, values led decisions in everyday practice.
What’s new in the refresh
We’ve retained the original principles and updated the language and presentation to improve accessibility across the sector, including explicit attention to digital spaces. Further resources will roll out in early 2026 to support embedding and reflective practice.
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Resources and sessions exploring the Code of Ethics with teams and young people
Connect and Reflect Playing Cards –
Resource for youth workers
Get started: This quick self-guided e-learning provides an introduction to the Code of Ethics and the Five Principles of Youth Work, equipping you with the knowledge needed to effectively use the Connect and Reflect resource.
These cards are a training resource for youth work practitioners, designed to support meaningful conversations, strengthen professional relationships, and encourage reflection among youth workers, volunteers, and organisations.
The cards help users explore and apply the Youth Work Code of Ethics and the Five Principles of Youth Work in a practical and accessible way. They are designed specifically for use in training, team development, and reflective practice settings.
Each card focuses on a key principle, ethical consideration, or real-life youth work scenario. They include structured reflective prompts that support discussion, deepen understanding, and help teams consider how values and principles translate into everyday practice with young people.
The resource is designed to be flexible, relaxed, and adaptable, allowing teams to use the cards in ways that best fit their organisation, context, and learners.
Connect and Reflect Playing Cards also support organisations in linking their own policies, safeguarding procedures, and training approaches into reflective discussions, helping to strengthen consistent, values-led practice across teams.
Thank you
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the organisation Space youth services in Devon as well as all the youth workers and practitioners who took part in piloting the resource and generously shared their feedback.
Special thanks also go to everyone who joined our Connect sessions and contributed to shaping and refining the final version of this resource. You can find out more about our Connect Sessions here.
We also acknowledge the valuable input from students undertaking their youth work apprenticeships at John William University, whose reflections and engagement helped strengthen the development of the cards.
This e-learning module guides you through the training session plans, enabling you and your team to use the Connect and Reflect card deck to support reflection, spark discussion and encourage ethical practice in youth work.
Colour your code –
Resource for young people
This resource invites you to explore the Youth Work Code of Ethics with young people in a creative and meaningful way. These principles guide youth workers to build safe, respectful, and inclusive spaces where young people feel valued and empowered. Through doodling and discussion, you’ll reflect on what these values mean for you and your group. Together, you will create a collaborative artwork that brings these ethical principles to life, celebrating trust, participation, and positive relationships in youth work. This activity is about sharing ideas, listening to each other, and understanding what makes youth work spaces safe and supportive.
The easiest way to use this resource is to print all the A4 posters and encourage participants to doodle while discussing how the Youth Work Code of Ethics relates to young people and your organisation’s ethos.
Thank you
This resource has been co‑produced with young people, whose honesty, creativity and commitment to strengthening youth work practice have been central to its development.
We are grateful to VOY Design, whose expertise and imagination helped bring the vision of an interactive and engaging session to life. We would also like to thank Blackbridge Charitable Community Benefit Society and Kinetic Youth, who piloted the resource and provided valuable feedback and reflections that enhanced its clarity and impact.
Downloadable resources for Colour Your Code includes:
- Colour your code session plan
- Colour your code doodle sheets pack including instruction sheet and 12x doodle sheets
