Child and Youth Care Practice: Advanced

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

• A significant number of children and youth with whom Child and Youth Care Counsellors work are “at risk”. The issues of the population of children and youth at risk include: learning disabilities, ADHD and/or neuromotor difficulties; fetal alcohol syndrome, depression and potential suicide; street life; abuse; delinquency; post traumatic stress disorder, family crisis, poverty, etc.

• Child and youth care counsellors work in and with a variety of systems. An understanding of a work setting and the ability to collaborate with other systems is an essential aspect of CYCC work.

• Stress and crisis are often major causal factors of increasing difficulties in the lives of children, youth and families. Effective response to stress and crisis by CYCC’s can support children, youth and families to adapt to difficult circumstances, to seek additional support where necessary, and to discover effective means to cope and change.

• Children, youth and families and CYCC’s have a diversity of: culture; religion; family structure; sexual orientation and socioeconomic conditions. Recognition of and response to diversity is central to effective working relationships between children, youth, families and workers.

• A sense of loss is felt by many individuals and families for a variety of reasons. Recognition of a sense of loss and knowledge of the stages of mourning can provide the CYCC with a sense of direction as she/he works with the individual or family. As people work through issues of loss, a sense of hope develops and they discover new possibilities for the future.

• Assessment is essential to understanding and planning. Children, youth and families are collaborators in the assessment process

• The ability to participate in a collaborative planning process with the people with whom you are working is necessary.

• Competent CYCC practitioners must be able to document their work. Documentation, while holding the practitioner accountable and contributing to continuity, also directly impacts the people with whom you are working.  Documentation, reports and course assignments must always respect confidentiality and be mindful of the potential audience.