From Intervention to Prevention: a Study of Key Skills Social Service Professionals Need In Collaborative Youth Crime Prevention
Mehmood, Asad; Latif, Faisal; Ullah, Ihsan (2025)
2025
All rights reserved. This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120733286
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120733286
Tiivistelmä
This thesis aims to provide a review of the key skills required of social service professionals to effectively participate in collaborative youth gang crime prevention models in Finland. Rising gang related crime and the involvement of youth from marginalized communities have raised the need for a multi-agency crime prevention model consisting of law enforcement, social services, healthcare professionals and community leaders and organizations. The purpose of this study is to point out the core skills essential for social service professionals to perform effectively within these collaborative models and to support and empower at-risk youth.
A descriptive literature review of 28 resources was conducted using peer reviewed articles, governmental reports and academic publications collected from databases such as EBSCOhost, Scopus and Google scholar, A thematic analysis method was followed while following the theoretical framework of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory which enabled analysis of social service practice across different professional levels.
The study has identified five core skills and competence areas crucial for social service professionals to effectively collaborate in multi-professional youth gang crime prevention models: interagency communication and mediation skills, advocacy to address structural inequality, trauma informed communication and empathy, cultural and anti-racist competency and reflective practice that promotes continuous professional learning and growth. These skills are essential for social service professionals to build trust with vulnerable youth, coordinating multi-professional collaboration across stakeholders and addressing different social and structural elements that contribute to youth gang involvement.
The study finds that a multilayered professional skillset is required of social service professionals to successfully prevent youth gang involvement and promote inclusion, equality, safety and long term social wellbeing within communities.
A descriptive literature review of 28 resources was conducted using peer reviewed articles, governmental reports and academic publications collected from databases such as EBSCOhost, Scopus and Google scholar, A thematic analysis method was followed while following the theoretical framework of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory which enabled analysis of social service practice across different professional levels.
The study has identified five core skills and competence areas crucial for social service professionals to effectively collaborate in multi-professional youth gang crime prevention models: interagency communication and mediation skills, advocacy to address structural inequality, trauma informed communication and empathy, cultural and anti-racist competency and reflective practice that promotes continuous professional learning and growth. These skills are essential for social service professionals to build trust with vulnerable youth, coordinating multi-professional collaboration across stakeholders and addressing different social and structural elements that contribute to youth gang involvement.
The study finds that a multilayered professional skillset is required of social service professionals to successfully prevent youth gang involvement and promote inclusion, equality, safety and long term social wellbeing within communities.