Developing the Concept of Professional Advocacy: An Examination of the Role of Child and Youth Advocates in England and Wales

• Summary: This article examines the development of child and youth advocacy through an analysis of the meaning of professionalization and argues that a culture of advocacy is needed to facilitate the development of professional advocacy expertise. • Findings: The fragmented development of child and youth advocacy in England and Wales has accelerated within the modernizing agenda of New Labour. While child and youth advocacy competes with other imperatives in the provision of health and social care services, advocates seek to develop professional status in order to ensure effectively the involvement of children and young people in decision making. The nature of advocacy practice creates resistance to traditional models of professionalization but a committed practitioner model, recognizing advocacy expertise, enables advocacy to develop in a way that does not compromise its role. • Applications: Debates about the professionalization of child and youth advocacy are ongoing, particularly with the publication of advocacy standards in England and Wales. This article contributes to the discussion and suggests a model for developing the theory and practice of child and youth advocacy. © 2004, Sage Publications. All rights reserved