Despite its importance, youth policy is an often-ignored area of Government planning and legislation, and policy initiatives seem to lack any guiding theme or relevance to the needs of young people. In Youth Policy in the 1990s originally published in 1992, the editors brought together prominent experts in the key areas of youth policy at the time. They provide a critical review of the major issues which implicitly or explicitly affect the world of adolescents and examine to what extent they paint a picture of existing youth policy. The aim was to provide a baseline for a policy on youth in the 1990s. The book recommends the introduction of a Minister for Young People and the use of youth impact statements at national and local level and seeks to provide information and argument for those seeking to plan policy for young people from a corporate or inter-agency perspective. The contributors are all recognized experts in their fields. They tackle their topic first by examining the historical perspective, with a special concentration on the previous decade. Each has paid regard to particular themes - ethnicity, class and gender, and where possible, has brought in material from other countries and cultures. They have then put forward suggestions for future policy.

Based on the study of a large number of young people ranging in age from eleven to seventeen, Relationships in Adolescence, originally published in 1974, proposes a new model of adolescent development, described as the 'focal' model, which makes a valuable contribution to the greater understanding of adolescence for all who have contact with this age group. The book contains an examination of three different approaches to adolescence, an outline of the research project, and a discussion of the empirical evidence concerning identity and self-image, heterosexual and parental relationships, and large group situations. Comparisons are made between age levels and between boys and girls with respect to the whole range of relationships, and the evidence illustrates significant and at times dramatic differences between groups. Of particular importance are some of the changes which occur with age, such as the degree of conflict with parents and attitudes to sexuality. Based on Dr Coleman's findings is his fresh 'focal' model of adolescent development. This model stresses the elements of growth and change in adolescence, with special emphasis on the normal anxieties and conflicts that occur at different stages of the developmental period. Today it can be read and enjoyed in its historical context.

The fourth edition of this successful textbook provides an up-to-date introduction to all of the key features of adolescent development. While drawing on the North American literature on adolescence, it highlights European perspectives and also provides unique coverage of the topic by summarising and reviewing what is known about adolescence from a British viewpoint. Comprehensively updated and rewritten, this edition includes material on new topics such as: The development of the adolescent brain Sleep patterns in adolescence Parenting programmes for parents of teenagers Health, including sport and exercise, nutrition and obesity, and mental health Education and schooling Young people's use of digital technologies New approaches to resilience and coping. The book places a particular emphasis on a positive view of adolescence, and the author develops a new theoretical perspective which looks at how young people themselves construct and shape their own developmental pathways. Interview material taken from discussions with adolescents is included throughout the book, and there are sample essay questions and PowerPoint lecture slides available online. This is an essential text for anyone studying human development at undergraduate and postgraduate level, as well as on postgraduate courses for professionals including teachers, social workers, health workers, counsellors, and youth workers.

The fourth edition of this successful textbook provides an up-to-date introduction to all of the key features of adolescent development. While drawing on the North American literature on adolescence, it highlights European perspectives and also provides unique coverage of the topic by summarising and reviewing what is known about adolescence from a British viewpoint. Comprehensively updated and rewritten, this edition includes material on new topics such as: The development of the adolescent brain Sleep patterns in adolescence Parenting programmes for parents of teenagers Health, including sport and exercise, nutrition and obesity, and mental health Education and schooling Young people's use of digital technologies New approaches to resilience and coping. The book places a particular emphasis on a positive view of adolescence, and the author develops a new theoretical perspective which looks at how young people themselves construct and shape their own developmental pathways. Interview material taken from discussions with adolescents is included throughout the book, and there are sample essay questions and PowerPoint lecture slides available online. This is an essential text for anyone studying human development at undergraduate and postgraduate level, as well as on postgraduate courses for professionals including teachers, social workers, health workers, counsellors, and youth workers.