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.