| The
Child and Youth Care Approach to working with youth and families is a
unique method of helping troubled youth and families. Child
and youth care is based on direct, day-to-day interactive work with
children, youth and families in their environment, whether that is the
home, the residential setting, school, hospital, or the street. They do
not operate in a single setting, an interview or session-oriented basis. |
 |
There
are specific characteristics that shape
our approach, which have
been influenced and refined since the 1940’s. The child and youth care
worker begins by becoming involved in the daily life events of the young
person and family. By attending to the internal and external
factors that impact on them the care worker can be proactive and
intentional in helping to facilitate change.
It is through engaging with people where they live their lives,
and through the involvement in the naturally occurring events of
their lives that we come to understand the issues. Then, together,
the family and the care worker develop plans to create opportunities for
change that will result in a different sense of self and each other,
different ways of acting, and healthier connections for the youth,
family and the systems in which they live. Care workers are
directly involved with the youth and family as they try out these new
ways of being, to offer immediate support and assistance to them.
Thus, child and youth care workers are engaged with youth and families
to help them live their lives differently in the environments in which
their lives are lived. It is this direct involvement in the daily
events of living, and using these as the focus for change, that makes
the child and youth care approach unique. |
