The central objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of youth work with vulnerable young people – primarily between the ages of 13 and 16. Four complementary methods were adopted: a survey of secondary school pupils, a series of focus group interviews with young people with experience of youth work, and individual interviews with particularly vulnerable young people and with key service providers. There was also a workshop session for providers and others to comment on the validity of the findings and to discuss evaluation strategies. The research focused on youth work activities in six geographical areas of Scotland where, for different reasons, a significant proportion of young people might be seen as vulnerable. In broad terms three areas were characteriszd by urban deprivation and three by rural poverty and/or isolation. The researchers argued that in these areas young people are vulnerable to a series of risks and were concerned to identify the extent to which involvement in youth groups could be associated with reduction of risk behaviour. The survey provides an overview of patterns of involvement in youth groups and examines significant differences in use between males and females, between those from different socio-economic backgrounds and according to age.