Child and Youth Care
Program Overview
Humber’s Child and Youth Care advanced diploma program prepares you to promote the optimal development of children, youth and their families. Students develop skills in assessing needs, designing and implementing programs and planned environments, and using daily life events to support and facilitate positive change. The program provides foundational knowledge in infant, child and adolescent development; child and youth care relational practice principles; family dynamics; evidence-based or evidence-informed intervention strategies; group dynamics; cultural humility; and therapeutic activities.
You will learn that an essential component of professional practice is self-awareness with many courses emphasizing self-reflection and the classroom being a professional practice environment. Your high energy level and emotional maturity will help you meet the demands of working with children and youth with complex needs.
Our program is delivered by award-winning faculty, renowned in their field, with current, relevant experience and advanced degrees. A key feature of the program is its therapeutic play lab fostering experiential learning.
Semester 2 |
|---|
| CYC 140: Core Competencies in Child and Youth Care |
| CYC 160: Adolescent Development |
| CYC 212: Family Dynamics |
| CYC 216: Interviewing and Counselling |
| WRIT 200: Workplace Writing Skills |
| Select 1 from the following courses |
| GNED : General Elective |
Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
- Develop and maintain therapeutic relationships with children, youth and their families, respecting their unique life spaces, and applying the principles of relational practice to meet their needs.
- Assess the strengths, developmental and holistic needs of children, youth and their families, using methods grounded in theoretical frameworks, research and therapeutic practices, to develop care and intervention plans.
- Develop and implement care and intervention plans appropriate for the therapeutic milieu using evidence-informed practices and research to provide support for children, youth, and their families.
- Use equitable and inclusive approaches that are anti-colonial, anti-oppressive, anti-racist, and strength-based frameworks, as well as cultural humility, to create positive and sustainable solutions and respond to inequities and to systemic barriers experienced by children, youth and their families.
- Advocate for, and in solidarity with, children, youth, their families and communities through their participation in the development and implementation of care and intervention plans that uphold their rights.
- Employ communication, collaboration and relational skills with the inter-professional team and with community partners to ensure and enhance the professionalism of practice
- Engage in self-inquiry, relational inquiry and critical reflection to develop strategies for learning and the practice of self-care, as a practitioner.
- Use professional development resources and supervision to increase professional capacity, learning and leadership skills.
- Adhere to relevant legislation and Child and Youth Care standards of practice, competencies, and codes of ethics as a practitioner.
- Practice in a variety of contexts and settings, respecting needs for developmental growth, safety, wellbeing and agency, while addressing the varying age and developmental ranges of children, youth, and their families.
- Employ crisis prevention and intervention techniques, and harm-reduction principles, with children, youth and their families in the provision of care, to ensure their safety, resolution of crises, and reparation of relationships.
- Develop the capacity to work with children, youth and families who identify with Indigenous, Black, and racialized communities, as well as people in LGBTQ2+ and disabled communities, by identifying systemic inequities and barriers, integrating practices such as trauma-informed care, and respecting their inherent rights to self-determine.
Work Placement
Professional Practicum with established partnerships is a critical component of this program. There are an exciting variety of innovative and traditional field experiences available in and around the Greater Toronto Area. Field experiences are arranged with the help of a field advisor and are typically unpaid.
In Semester 3, the practicum is two days a week for fourteen weeks. In Semesters 5 and 6, the practicum is four days per week over the term. Alongside this experiential work, students will also complete coursework and attend a seminar class.
Advisory Committee
Our advisory committee is made up of people with extensive experience in the child and youth care profession, and represent a variety of settings in which child and youth care practitioners are employed. Many are also members of the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care.
Your Career
With our program, you can enjoy the rewards of a career where you make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and youth by:
- building on strengths and capacities, and working collaboratively
- developing therapeutic relationships and using relational practice
- seeking out and connecting children, youth and their families with relevant, culturally specific and appropriate community resources
- understanding and learning about the complex challenges faced by children, youth and families
- utilizing daily life events as opportunities to promote and facilitate positive change
- working as part of an inter-professional team
Our graduates enter a field with opportunities in a variety of settings including:
- child protection agencies
- community-based child and youth development programs
- early intervention and prevention programs
- open custody group homes for youth involved in the criminal justice system
- parent education and family support
- psychiatric hospitals
- residential and day treatment programs in children’s mental health centres
- school-based programs
- youth and women’s shelters
Professional Accreditations & Recognition
Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Board of Canada (CYCEAB)
The program is recognized by the Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Board of Canada as an accredited program.
Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care (OACYC)
This program is recognized by the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care (OACYC) . Graduates may apply to become members of the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care.
Child and Youth Care Certification Board (CYCCB)
Graduates may apply to be certified by the Child and Youth Care Certification Board (North America).
Additional requirements may apply.
Note: The requirements for the additional credential(s) are determined by the granting body, which is independent from the College. Students are encouraged to obtain the specific requirements directly from the granting body before enrolling.
Humber Students Benefit from Five Centres of Innovation (COIs)
The Humber Centres of Innovation Network demonstrates our strong commitment to providing an experiential learning environment for students. Students and faculty work with industry partners on real-world challenges to prepare them to become the innovative and strategic problem-solvers of tomorrow. Come to Humber and experience interdisciplinary learning across five COIs.
About the COIsNews Feed
Upcoming Principal’s Office Events Spring 2021
Principal’s Office
Wed, March 31, 2021
The Principal's Office and partners are hosting many events for Spring 2021 geared towards staff, student and community health and well-being.
Interpretive Centre Virtual Tour
Principal’s Office
Wed, March 31, 2021
Navigate the Interpretive Centre through a virtually guided tour!
Newly Launched FSCS Wellness Programs
Principal’s Office
Wed, March 17, 2021
To encourage our Faculty to build social bonds, we have launched the FSCS Book and Recipe Clubs.
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On October 21, 2019, the Provincial Government of Ontario announced the renaming of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU). Both names may appear on this website.
