The <scp>UK</scp> National Youth Work Curriculum—Democratic challenges from Finland

Abstract This article compares the only two countries—the UK and Finland—that have systematically applied the concept of curriculum to youth work on the national level. It begins by charting the development of a curriculum in youth work in England which has culminated in the production of the new UK government's Department for Culture Media &amp; Sport funded ‘National Curriculum for Youth Work’ produced by the NYA in 2020. Whilst this entails a shift for youth work in England and removes an element of democracy for local youth workers to agree and establish their own priorities, it does provide a clear policy direction for a beleaguered youth sector. This article then discusses the published findings of a 10‐year action research project led by the Finnish Youth Research Society which has worked with local youth workers and managers in a variety of municipal youth work organizations ( N = 6) to establish local youth work curricula. The model has been utilized in 26 municipalities since. The Finnish experience provides a marked contrast to the UK youth work curriculum, as they argue their approach is a more authentic method of establishing a youth work curriculum. The documents produced a clear representations of youth work practice and they contrast with the top‐down national curriculum framework. Whilst the UK model may be a positive response to the policy challenges facing youth workers in the UK—the Finnish experience raises questions of the currency within and ownership by the field of any youth work curriculum.