Relationship Building with Children and Youth

The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:

• The development of a positive working relationship, with the use of certain counselling skills, is central to engaging children, youth, and families.
• Child and Youth Care practitioners seek self-awareness, including the impact of their cultural experience on their assumptions and responses.  Likewise, the CYC practitioner seeks to understand the influences of past experiences and cultural contexts on the behaviour and worldview of youth.
• The elements of respect, genuineness and mutuality are core elements in the relationship-building process.
• Creating a working relationship with children and youth is holistic and systemic; it takes into account all aspects of the individual and all of their important contexts.
• There are multiple ways of, and theories about, developing a working relationship and supporting children and youth as they move towards change.
• Relationship-building with children and youth is developmentally sensitive.  Ways of engaging children and youth are shaped to fit with, and promote, their emotional, social, intellectual, cultural and physical development.
• The process of relationship-building with children and youth is aimed at the development of insight and understanding of self, others, and the relationship between self and others with the goal of enabling children and youth to interact more effectively with their important systems.
• The process of building relationships with children and youth is skill-based.  Effective Child and Youth Care practitioners understand the use of certain counselling skills and uses them intentionally while remaining genuine and personal in their interactions with youth.  Building professional working relationships with children and youth is dynamic and includes discussion, activities and other approaches.