Child and Youth Care

This program will be delivered using a combination of modalities. Courses may be taught face-to-face, online or in a blended/hybrid combination of both online and traditional classroom teaching.

In the Child and Youth Care program, you'll develop the knowledge and skills to advocate for children, youth and their families as you learn to encourage them to be more resourceful and to confidently use their voices.

This three-year Child and Youth Care program will examine the principles, philosophies and characteristics of relational child and youth care practice from child and youth-centred, developmental and ecological perspectives (1). It will also cover themes related to professional boundaries, child and adolescent mental health, psychology, counselling theories, crisis theory, intervention and counselling (group, individual, family), abuse, advocacy and anti-oppression.

As a graduate of this advanced diploma program, you'll be ready to provide prevention and early intervention strategies, assessment, treatment, and counselling to children and adolescents who may be in crisis, struggling with psychological challenges, or who are dealing with other stressful situations. As such, you'll become a valuable member of the mental health profession and use your knowledge and skills to provide life-changing support from a strength-based paradigm.

Child and youth care practitioners engage and work with children, youth and their families across a wide variety of settings, including community-based child and youth development programs, parent education and family support, school-based programs, community mental health, group homes, residential centres, day and residential treatment programs, early intervention, home-based care and treatment, private practice, psychiatric centres, rehabilitation programs, paediatric health care, child protection and youth justice programs (2).

(1) Adapted from Child & Youth Care Program Standards (2014), Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

(2) Settings adapted from the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice and Child and Youth Care Certification Board (2010), "Competencies for Professional Child and Youth Work Practitioner".

Once you complete the Child and Youth Care Program, you'll be able to:

• Develop and maintain relationships with children, youth and their families applying principles of relational practice and respecting their unique life space, cultural and human diversity;
• Assess and respond to children and youths' strengths and needs, including complex responses impacted by developmental, environmental, physical, emotional, social and mental health challenges to promote positive change;
• Analyze and evaluate the impact of the interrelationship among family, social service, and justice and community systems on children, youth and their families, and use this information in planning holistic care and reducing systemic barriers;
• Plan, implement and evaluate interventions using evidence-informed practices in the areas of therapeutic milieu, programming and group work to promote resiliency and to enhance development in children, youth and their families;
• Advocate for the rights of children, youth and their families, and maintain an anti-oppression perspective and cultural competence in diverse cultural contexts;
• Apply communication, teamwork and organizational skills within the interprofessional team and with community partners to enhance the quality of service in child and youth care practice;
• Develop and implement self-care strategies using self-inquiry and reflection processes to promote self-awareness and to enhance practice as a child and youth care practitioner;
• Use evidence-based research, professional development resources and supervision models to support professional growth and lifelong learning.

Synopsis of the Vocational Learning Outcomes: (MTCU, September 2014)

Accreditation

Centennial College’s Child and Youth Care Advanced Diploma program has earned accreditation from the Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Board of Canada as a provider of quality post-secondary education in the field of Child and Youth Care, effective April 21, 2021 to April 20, 2028.

Also Available:

• Child and Youth Care (Part-Time)
• Child and Youth Care (Online)