Professional identity is an ongoing topic of discussion in the youth work literature. This paper looks at one of the key elements of the definition of youth work: the relationships that youth workers establish with young people. It presents research findings which suggest that youth workers have multidimensional relationships with young people that have an educative component and therapeutic value. It is argued that these relationships are integral to the way in which youth workers work with young people, and that the significance of relationships to youth work should be documented in order to gain recognition and support from the field and from funding bodies.