This thesis is an ethnographic, 'step-in, step-out' exploratory study of how the concept of 'risk' has impacted on Youth Offending Team (YOT) practice in England. The Scaled Approach provides YOTs with a model designed to match the intensity of their work to a young person's assessed risk of reoffending. The explicit risk-led model of practice requires YOT practitioners to make judgements using assessment tools (Asset) on a young person's likelihood of reoffending. The impact that the Scaled Approach and subsequently 'risk' has made on YOT practice is explored from YOT practitioner's points of view. The impact that risk has had on young people in the youth justice system is also considered; eight young people's journeys whilst on a community order form a key component of this research. Sutherland (2009) postulated that the Scaled Approach was potentially an example of where 'fools rush in', making policy based on a poor evidence base; this thesis seeks to assess whether that is the case. The first strand of the research involves an exploration of why YOT practitioners do the job that they do; by considering the occupational identity and organisational culture that YOT practitioners have and work in, a basis for an in-depth discussion of how they construct and view risk assessment in youth justice is provided. This thesis then considers the effect that risk has had on YOT team structures. The second strand of the thesis specifically addresses the impact that the Scaled Approach has made on assessment in youth justice from practitioner's points of view and uses several case studies of young people as examples. The thesis concludes with a summary of the main themes before making some recommendations for policy, practice and future research.