Advanced College Diploma - Child and Youth Care (B992)

Students are provided with the skills and knowledge necessary to build therapeutic relationships and facilitate change with children, youth, and families experiencing a wide range of often complex social, emotional, behavioural, and mental health challenges. Child and Youth Care practitioners are specialists in facilitating change in children and youth and are expected to work with various professionals including educators, medical and social work professionals, correctional officers and family organizations dedicated to implementing a range of intervention, prevention and treatment strategies for children and their families. Child and Youth Care practitioners are a valuable resource as they are committed to understanding and interacting in therapeutic relationships that foster positive change.

Program Highlights:

• Implement and evaluate a range of prevention, intervention and treatment strategies for children, youth and their families including crisis intervention, conflict management, problem-solving, counselling, activity programming and group work. • Develop clinical observation and reporting skills. • Understand and develop therapeutic relationships. • Work with client challenges including difficult home situations, substance abuse, behavioural problems, mental health challenges, homelessness, self-harm, suicidal ideation and conflicts with the law. • Extensive field placement experience in each year of study. • Graduates of the Child & Youth Care program with a minimum GPA of 3.0 may be eligible to block transfer into Year 3 of Degrees in Disability Studies, Psychology and Social Work at the University of Windsor.

Occupational areas where graduates can expect to find employment may include residential and day treatment agencies, child and family service agencies, child and youth treatment agencies, young offenders’ facilities, children’s aid societies, educational environments, community agencies, group homes, respite services etc.