Introduction

Abstract

The public image of street children has acted as a barrier to success in both research into their lives and programmes intended for their welfare. On the basis of a review of papers written for a workshop organized to set a new research agenda for street children, it is argued that the emphasis should shift away from attempts to define street children towards analysis of their relationship with street environments. It is suggested that this entails more innovative and ethical research methods, based in participation and action-oriented research as well as being derived from social science theories.