Child and Youth Care


Book Description

Critical and postmodern perspectives have been largely underexplored in the field of child and youth care. This book addresses the gap, showcasing cutting-edge approaches to policy, pedagogy, and practice from diverse perspectives and professional settings. The authors of Child and Youth Care challenge deep-seated assumptions about child and youth care by reinterpreting core concepts such as ethics and outcomes and raising questions about underlying goals and premises. Can the ends of practice be separated from the means? For whose benefit are interventions designed? By recognizing a range of social and political influences on children and youth, this volume bears witness to exciting developments in child and youth care. Chapters in Part 1 redefine the field by offering new theoretical frameworks which, in turn, raise questions about the underlying goal of care and its place in current political agendas. For instance, what unspoken understandings of child, youth, or family well-being are being privileged? To answer these questions, chapters in Part 2 explore underdeveloped issues such as gender, the experiences of girls, and the involvement of fathers, while those in Parts 3 and 4 question beliefs about northern communities, homeless youth, early childhood programs, and young offenders. By focusing on approaches that recognize a range of social and political influences on children and youth, this volume bears witness to new and exciting developments in child and youth care. Alan Pence is UNESCO Chair for Early Childhood Education, Care and Development, and a professor in the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria. Jennifer White is an associate professor in the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria. Contributors: Brooke Alsbury, Mackenzie Dean, Sandrina de Finney, B. Denise Hodgins, Mark L. Kelly, Kathleen Kummen, J.N. Little, Alan Pence, Elicia Loiselle, Jonathan Morris, Janet Newbury, Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw, Lorinda Stoneman, and Jennifer White.




Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8


Book Description

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.




Child and Youth Care in the Field


Book Description

The first of its kind, this practicum-specific resource serves as an accompanying guidebook for fieldwork, placement, or classroom instruction in child and youth care practice. Child and Youth Care in the Field: A Practicum Guidebook uses critical reflection to facilitate student learning and growth throughout the practicum experience. Students can apply and build upon the theory and skills acquired during their fieldwork by utilizing the engaging workbook features and writing spaces included in the text. This resource helps prepare students for practicum and expand their self-awareness by discussing the challenges and difficulties they will encounter in the field, and by providing insight on how to navigate the decision-making process. With the increasing need for a hands-on resource in child and youth care studies, this book is well suited for first year, field placement, and professional skills courses in child and youth care programs at the college and university level.




A Tapestry of Relational Child and Youth Care Competencies


Book Description

This foundational resource is the first to explicitly detail the Child and Youth Care (CYC) core competencies for students preparing to take the Child and Youth Care-Professional (CYC-P) certification exam. Designed according to the Child and Youth Care Certification Board (CYCCB), this book offers a comprehensive review of the five domains of CYC practitioner competencies: professionalism, cultural and human diversity, applied human development, relationship and communication, and developmental practice methods. Pedagogical tools bring concepts to life through critical discussion and reflection. The text is packed with tables, chapter learning outcomes, reflection questions, end-of-chapter reference lists, glossary terms, definitions from the CYCCB, and real world case studies. A unique and practical textbook, this is an indispensable resource for introductory courses in child and youth care programs.




Lisa Murphy on Play


Book Description

Discover why playing is school readiness with this updated guide. Timely research and new stories highlight how play is vital to the social, physical, cognitive, and spiritual development of children. Learn the seven meaningful experiences we should provide children with every day and why they are so important.




Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development in Children and Youth


Book Description

Healthy mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) development is a critical foundation for a productive adulthood. Much is known about strategies to support families and communities in strengthening the MEB development of children and youth, by promoting healthy development and also by preventing and mitigating disorder, so that young people reach adulthood ready to thrive and contribute to society. Over the last decade, a growing body of research has significantly strengthened understanding of healthy MEB development and the factors that influence it, as well as how it can be fostered. Yet, the United States has not taken full advantage of this growing knowledge base. Ten years later, the nation still is not effectively mitigating risks for poor MEB health outcomes; these risks remain prevalent, and available data show no significant reductions in their prevalence. Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development in Children and Youth: A National Agenda examines the gap between current research and achievable national goals for the next ten years. This report identifies the complexities of childhood influences and highlights the need for a tailored approach when implementing new policies and practices. This report provides a framework for a cohesive, multidisciplinary national approach to improving MEB health.




Research and the Field of Child and Youth Care


Book Description

In an inviting and conversational style, author Kiaras Gharabaghi offers a concise guide introducing foundational research methods for the study and practice of child and youth care, aiming to awaken a lifelong interest in how research can inform, improve, and evoke critical reflection on what child and youth care is, and can be, about. Presenting research as a relational tool, the text builds basic practical research skills, such as how to conduct interviews and focus groups, how to construct research questions and surveys, and how to select research designs to best serve each project. This essential volume highlights research as an important element of child and youth care practice, explores different qualitative and quantitative research designs, and examines how they are implemented, including various aspects of recruiting research subjects, the collection and analysis of data, and the limitations of research. Written from an explicitly anti-racist perspective, the text includes a chapter dedicated to Afrocentric and Indigenous research approaches and draws all its examples from the field of child and youth care. The rich in-text pedagogical features include a glossary of key terms and two appendices that detail an ethics protocol and describe a small research project from start to finish. Students of child and youth care, social work, and youth work/development programs are bound to appreciate this engaging and highly readable text. FEATURES: - Covers the politics of research, the intersections of research and advocacy work, and Afrocentric and Indigenous research lenses - Features text boxes showcasing research insights, interviews with child and youth care researchers, and ethical considerations - Accessible for those new to research in child and youth care, while offering insight into how to deeply understand research at more advanced levels of engagement




Doing Ethics in Child and Youth Care


Book Description

A unique text to the field, Doing Ethics in Child and Youth Care serves as an essential introductory guide to ethical practice across a range of child and youth care settings within North America. In addition to providing an overview of the Standards for Practice of North American Child and Youth Care Professionals, with the full version included in an appendix, the text offers a practical and engaging introduction and explores the theoretical under-pinnings and field-specific application of ethics. Organized into three parts, this volume begins by introducing the code of ethics for child and youth care professionals in North America as well as the ethical theories and the foundational skills to “do ethics,” including cultural humility, reflexivity, and ethical problem solving. The second part moves on to orient readers to a broad range of considerations for adopting an ethical stance, such as boundary management, responsibilities to the profession, community development and youth participation, and Indigenous perspectives on child and youth care ethics. Part three features some of the different settings in which child and youth care is practised in North America, such as substitute care, family work, intervention in schools, social media, research, and ethics training and supervision, and examines the unique ethical challenges in each of these settings. With contributions from leading child and youth care scholars in Canada and the United States, this is a must-read for students and professional training programs in child and youth care, child and youth studies, and youth work across North America. FEATURES: - Contributions from researchers, practitioners, and scholars from Canada and the United States - Practice examples and reflective exercises to engage readers in developing an approach to ethical practice across a range of child and youth care settings - Appendices containing the full Standards for Practice of North American Child and Youth Care Professionals and a list of resources for ethical dilemmas and case studies to practise doing ethics




Recent Books