Child and Youth Worker Program Offers Path to Career or Further Education
If you are looking to attend a Child and Youth Worker
program that not only prepares you for the field in three years but
also offers a seamless transition to further education, you may want to
consider Centennial College. Students of this Toronto-based Child and
Youth Worker program are in high demand upon graduation by agencies
serving troubled youth and their families. They are also ready to work
at Child and Youth Worker professionals in multiple roles and various
contexts, including: residential and day treatment programs, hospitals,
young offender programs, crisis centers, community-based programs and
shelters.
On the other hand, students wishing to continue their education may do
so through the program’s partnerships with various institutions. For
instance, Child and Youth Worker grads can apply to Ryerson University’s
Child and Youth Care direct-entry degree program or receive credit
towards their university degree in related disciplines. Child and Youth
Worker graduates with a C+ average may also apply to Vancouver Island
University for direct entry into the third year of the Child and Youth
Work degree program. A child protection specialization is also available
for a limited number of students. Lastly, students may apply for
membership in the Ontario Association of Child & Youth Counselors
(OACYC).
This Child and Youth Worker program results in an Ontario College
Advanced Diploma and the skills needed to be successful in the field. As
such, students learn the principles, philosophies and characteristics
of relational child and youth work practice such as co-creating
relationships, working developmentally and understanding professional
boundaries. This is achieved though an annually reviewed and revised
curriculum that ensures courses and assignments are based on the latest
research and based practices. Among the courses included in the Child
and Youth Worker program are: Counseling and Communication Skills,
Developmental Issues in Childhood and Adolescence, Working with
Traumatized Children & Youth, Advocacy & Law in Children’s
Mental Health, and more.
To ensure they are retaining what they learn, students of Child and
Youth Worker program have access to specially designed communications
lab to facilitate interactive learning activities, counseling
simulations and small group observation and feedback. Supplemental
training is also provided in Understanding & Managing Aggressive
Behaviour (UMAB).
To complement the Child and Youth Worker in-school curriculum, there are
field placements in all three years of study that range between two and
four days per week. Students must have a vulnerable sector criminal
check prior to their field placements. Students must also possess a
standard first aid and heart saver AED (C) certification. Lastly for
placement, a medical certificate of health is necessary to ensure
freedom of communicable disease. Certain criminal convictions will
disallow placement in these agencies and program completion may not be
possible.
Child and Youth Worker
applicants are required to have completed at minimum an Ontario
Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent or are 19 years of age or
older; and have a credit in the compulsory English 12C or U or skills
assessment or equivalent.