Course Description
CYCC 4410 and CYCC 4411 are an eight month long practicum experience in the field. CYCC 4410 is Part 1. This supervised practicum focuses on application of learning. If possible, students are placed in their chosen professional area of interest. This course provides an opportunity to apply case-planning, intervention, and evaluation skills at an advanced level. Professional consultation, clinical functioning, and the integration of theory and practice are emphasized.
Course Content
The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:
- Practicum provides the student with opportunities to have direct experience with children, youth and families under the supervision of professionals at the placement and Douglas faculty. By the end of this practicum, students will be working at a level of independence appropriate to professional child and youth care in the setting.
- The ability to work in a child and youth care setting and maintain a level of quality work over the course of the whole practicum is a basic expectation of professional practice.
- Child and youth care assessment requires knowledge of general assessment criteria in order to effectively use a field based assessment tool. Fourth year child and youth care students will demonstrate increasing independence in assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation skills and, under supervision, will initiate and organize these activities in their setting.
- Appropriate professional and ethical behaviour in the practicum setting requires a knowledge of professional practice codes of conduct and knowledge of agency and governmental policies. Discussion and analysis of professional and ethical behaviour will focus on ethical dilemmas where often several values are in conflict. In all cases, professional and ethical practice on practicum is a requirement of practice.
- Feedback on practice from experienced supervisors and faculty provides the student with immediate learning in a real setting where learning can be put into action.
- Practitioners develop an understanding of their professional role and learn to understand and appreciate the roles of allied professions. In human services, child and youth care practitioners work with teachers, social workers, psychologists, health professionals and many others. Experience and discussion provides opportunities to articulate the child and youth care role and the roles of allied professions clearly.
- In this practicum child and youth care students will demonstrate increasing levels of responsibility, self-direction and autonomy.
Learning Activities
- Field experience
- Supervision
Means of Assessment
This course will conform to Douglas College policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations. Typical means of evaluation would include a combination of:
- Practice report
- Self assessment
- Field Assessment
This is a Graded Course
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate effective practice with children, adolescents and/or their families as appropriate in the practicum setting
- demonstrate continued and direct involvement with at least one agency or setting
- apply case assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation skills/li>
- demonstrate an acceptable level of integration of theory and practice within selected assignments and practice situations
- demonstrate appropriate professional and ethical behaviour within an applied setting
- demonstrate effective implementation of supervisory feedback on clinical and professional functioning
- examine the role of the child and youth care worker in relation to other human service professionals, and be able to articulate that role clearly
- demonstrate increasing levels of responsibility and self-direction through a developmental learning experience in a series of stages similar to an employment experience.