Advanced College Diploma - Child and Youth Care (1205)

Program Description In the Child and Youth Care program, students will develop the knowledge and skills to advocate for children, youth and their families as they 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. 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, students will 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, they will become a valuable member of the mental health profession and use their 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.