Professionalism in Child and Youth Care
Some Background Information on
Professionalism in the Child and Youth Care Field
"The changes in how children are viewed, the laws surrounding them, and surrounding our profession change with time. This is 'history' and it affects the work we do"
(Stuart, C., The Art and Science of Professionalizing).
Contrary to the popular belief that Child and Youth Care (CYC) is a profession that dates back only 30 or 40 years, CYC actually has a history that can be dated back well over 150 years (Charles, G., & Garfat, T.).
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Garfat and Charles write of the history of CYC, that although it is difficult to identify the exact origins of CYC in North America with certainty, "there are four paths along which the historical roots can be traced." The first of these paths identified by Garfat and Charles is from the orphanages that were established in the 1700s. Although these orphanages were church-run, in the 1800s they began to hire lay staff who worked directly with the children. The second path is known as the "fresh air movement" and it led to the establishment of the YMCA and YWCA which were formed in response to the large waves of immigrants that arrived in North America from Europe and many other parts of the world. The third path is described as the formulation of government institutions (which were known as industrial and training schools) that addressed the "mad, bad, and sad". These were the children who were juvenile delinquents. These institutions also served to house children who had cognitive and physical disabilities. At the same time (around the late 1800s) the government also began putting First Nations children in residential schools. Lastly, the fourth path is described by Charles and Garfat as community based recreational services.
In the 1950s, with the deinstitutionalization of these organizations came the birth of professional Child and Youth Care as we know it today. Stuart writes that "the first professional associations began in the 1960s... but it wasn't until the 1970s that they began to work toward regulating the profession" (2009). In Canada, different provinces implemented professional regulation at different times. In 1979, Alberta was the first province to implement a training and testing program that specifically aimed to certify Child and Youth Care workers (Stuart, 2009). It wasn't until 1995 that the North American Consortium of Child and Youth Care Education Programs (which was established in 1990) came up with the four segments of core content required for educating Child and Youth Care workers (Stuart, 2009). These four segments include "care work as an interpersonal process; contextual interactions in the milieu; therapeutic interventions; and indirect elements in carework practice" (Krueger, 2002, as cited by Stuart).
In the 1950s, with the deinstitutionalization of these organizations came the birth of professional Child and Youth Care as we know it today. Stuart writes that "the first professional associations began in the 1960s... but it wasn't until the 1970s that they began to work toward regulating the profession" (2009). In Canada, different provinces implemented professional regulation at different times. In 1979, Alberta was the first province to implement a training and testing program that specifically aimed to certify Child and Youth Care workers (Stuart, 2009). It wasn't until 1995 that the North American Consortium of Child and Youth Care Education Programs (which was established in 1990) came up with the four segments of core content required for educating Child and Youth Care workers (Stuart, 2009). These four segments include "care work as an interpersonal process; contextual interactions in the milieu; therapeutic interventions; and indirect elements in carework practice" (Krueger, 2002, as cited by Stuart).
Current Status: What has been accomplished to date?
"The North American Certification Project (NACP) arose from a broad opinion that North American certification for Child and Youth Care Practitioners was urgently needed. This project was a joint response of:
- Association for Child and Youth Care Practice (ACYCP formerly NOCCWA)
- Canadian Council of Child and Youth Care Associations (CCCYCA)
- International Leadership Coalition for Professional Child and Youth Care Work (ILC)
"In May 2007, the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice (ACYCP) organized the Child and Youth Care Certification Board (CYCCB), an independent non-profit corporation, to oversee the implementation and further development of the professional credentialing program created by NACP. In March 2010, the Competency Review Committee of CYCCB completed a review of the competencies and recommended language changes to better reflect diverse settings and evolving practices" (Mattingly, 2010).
"The five NACP domains and their competencies were subsequently developed into an exam and an on-the-job evaluation tool, which established a National certification program for the United States in 2007... Consistent with the free market concept in the United States, certification by the CYCCB is believed to be the means by which organizations can demonstrate the quality of care and service they offer... In Canada, certification is voluntary, and is administered through the professional association in each Province" (Stuart, 2009). "Provinces where the professional association is weak and educational programs small or non-existent have developed more slowly" (Stuart, 2009).
This website was created in 2011 by Jean Braun and Kristy Jackson
students in the Child and Youth Care (CYC) stream of the Human Services Diploma program
as a project for the "Professionalism in Child and Youth Care" course
at Selkirk College in Castlegar, BC, Canada.
