Surveyed 659 family support workers regarding their training and services for families with 10- to 15-year olds. Found that 30 to 50% rated training as inadequate or poor, had inaccurate knowledge about young adolescent development, and felt they were doing an inadequate job promoting developmental assets for youth. Higher quality training was…

Notes that effective staff development and positive youth development practice share many philosophical and structural similarities. Examines the relationship between youth and staff development and the long-term implications of organizational commitment to the youth-serving movement's newest paradigm-positive youth development. (EV)