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Child and Youth Care

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Child and Youth Care (CYC) is a profession or craft which focuses on the developmental needs of children and families within the space and time of their daily lives.[1] Child and Youth Care is primarily a way of working with others and practitioners can be found in a variety of roles including direct care, private practice, educator, trainer, writer, supervisor, manager, researcher, and more. They are sometimes known as Child and Youth Workers, Child and Youth Counselors, Youth Workers, or Child and Youth Care Workers. There are strong connections around the world between Child and Youth Care and Social Pedagogy.

Global Network

The International Child and Youth Care Network promotes reading, discussion, and networking among Child and Youth Care Practitioners through a monthly journal, 4000 member discussion group, and an archive of writing by and for Child and Youth Care Workers.

The Child and Youth Care Association of Newfoundland Labrador hosted the first Child and Youth Care World Conference in June 2013 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The second Child and Youth Care World Conference will be held in August 2016 in Vienna, Austria.

Scope of Practice

Child and Youth Care practice includes skills in developing relationships, assessing needs and strengths, supporting children and families in the life space, and participating in systems interventions through direct care, supervision, administration, teaching, research, consultation and advocacy.

This springs from what used to be known as children's homes or children's institutions which in turn used to part of a city's "charitable" work for children and families who had no access to professional services. Resources for this were always extremely limited and minimally staffed and the service could seldom see beyond a bed with a bedside locker and minimal food and adult attention. There was little or no staff training, with child-staff ratios often being as poor as 1:30.

It was those same staff members who originally bootstrapped their own training programs by soliciting the help of well-intentioned social workers and teachers into voluntary training opportunities, and rudimentary syllabi were developed into shared coursework. Similar grassroots efforts led to the formation, for example, of the National Association of Child Care Workers in South Africa, who over the years took over much of the organisation and work of this (largely voluntary) corps of teachers and child care workers, and who established further connections with helpful professionals.

Practitioners work in a variety of settings, such as early care and education, community-based child and youth development programs, parent education and family support, school-based programs, community mental health, group homes, residential centers, rehabilitation programs, pediatric health care, and juvenile justice programs.

The scope of practice from the Council of Canadian Child and Youth Care Associations provides a helpful definition of the field:

"Child and youth care practitioners work with children, youth and families with complex needs. They can be found in a variety of settings such as group homes and residential treatment centres, hospitals and community mental health clinics, community-based outreach and school-based programs, parent education and family support programs, as well as in private practice and juvenile justice programs. Child and youth care workers specialize in the development and implementation of therapeutic programs and planned environments and the utilization of daily life events to facilitate change. At the core of all effective child and youth care practice is a focus on the therapeutic relationship; the application of theory and research about human growth and development to promote the optimal physical, psycho-social, spiritual, cognitive, and emotional development of young people towards a healthy and productive adulthood; and a focus on strengths and assets rather than pathology." [2]

Public Recognition

The first week of May is International Child and Youth Care Week with the first Thursday being Thank a Youth Worker Day.

Professional Associations

There are a number of professional associations for Child and Youth Care Workers around the world.

Canada

United States

South Africa

Scotland

Education

Education for Child and Youth Care Practitioners varies around the world. Some have formal education in Child and Youth Care while others may enter the field through another discipline or specialty.

Some countries, such as Canada, have opportunities to complete a four-year programme in a university or a college leading to an advanced diploma in child and youth care which includes coursework and field placement. Some individuals enter the child and youth care field with a college diploma or university degree in a related field, such as psychology, sociology, addictions, or social service worker training.

Some CYW's further their education specifically in child and youth care and hold bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in child and youth care. The University of Victoria in Canada offers a doctoral programme for child and youth workers. In the fall of 2016, Ryerson University [3] will begin offering a Master's of CYC program.

A partial list of schools offering degrees or programs in Child and Youth Care includes:

Professional Certification

Professional certification is available to Child and Youth Workers through the Child and Youth Care Certification Board.

Certification involves an assessment process and demonstration of high standards of care and commitment to ongoing professional development. Certification is awarded to candidates who successfully demonstrate their professional practice through:

  • Minimum requirements of education, experience & training
  • Passing score on a situational judgement exam
  • Provision of colleague references & supervisor assessment
  • Membership in a professional association
  • Agreement to abide by ethical practice
  • Completion of a written portfolio

Journals

  • Child & Youth Care Online (ISSN 1605-7406) Editors: Thom Garfat & James Freeman
  • Relational Child & Youth Care Practice (ISSN 0840-982X) Editors: Heather Snell, MES CYC (c) (Professor & Program Coordinator, Bachelor of Child and Youth Care, Humber College, Ontario, Canada) & Rika Swanzen, PhD (Associate Professor, Section Head: Child and Youth Development, Monash South Africa)
  • Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care (ISSN 1478-1840) Editors: Graham Connelly & Laura Steckley
  • Child & Youth Services (ISSN 0145-935X) Editors: Ben Anderson-Nathe (Child and Family Studies, Portland State University, Portland, OR) & Kiaras Gharabaghi (School of Child and Youth Care, Ryerson University, Toronto)
  • International Journal of Social Pedagogy (ISSN 2051-5804) Jointly published by ThemPra Social Pedagogy and the Centre for Understanding Social Pedagogy, UCL Institute of Education, London

Notes

  1. ^ Adapted from Stuart, C. (2013). Foundations of child and youth care. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt.
  2. ^ Council of Canadian Child and Youth Care Associations
  3. ^ Ryerson University School of Child and Youth Care
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