Advanced Diploma in Child and Youth Care/Advanced Diploma in Child and Youth Care (Accelerated Option)

Leadership Claims



This Child and Youth Care program has earned national accreditation from the Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Board of Canada, becoming the first of its kind in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and the third in Canada to do so.

George Brown College's Child and Youth Care program combines best practice principles and a relational approach that is anchored in the values of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care Code of Ethics.

Students learn to engage purposefully and effectively with children, adolescents, and families who struggle with emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges that impair their abilities to relate to others.

The specific focus is on recognizing the impact of mental health challenges on children and youth.

Students learn to translate theory into practice to move youth from potential risk to resilience. In preparation for the field or clinical placement, students will be required to work in multiple small and large groups within classes and community settings.

There is also an Advanced Diploma in Child and Youth Care (Accelerated) option available, to which one can apply if they have already completed a two- or three-year diploma, or a three- or four-year degree. This program starts in May and is delivered over 12 consecutive months (three consecutive semesters).

Scope of practice includes:

• assessing risk and developmental needs of vulnerable children and families
• designing and implementing therapeutic intervention
• crisis intervention and safety planning with children, youth, and their families
• developing therapeutic relationships within challenging contexts
• applying group and systems theories in physical and social settings
• fostering resilience and applying a strength-based approach to assessment and intervention

Your Field Education Options

Field placement plays an important role in the Child and Youth Care program.

The first year provides students with an opportunity to develop a solid foundation of skills to build upon. The subsequent academic courses come to life in a wide range of supervised field placements in the second and third years of the program.

Second-year students can expect to be in placement two days a week (Winter semester) and third-year students can expect to be in placement three days a week over 28 weeks (includes both the Fall and Winter Semester).

Placements may take place in professional settings such as:

• residential care
• hospitals
• shelters
• schools
• after-school programs
• community outreach programs
• day treatment
• youth justice

Students are expected to work both day and evening shifts (not overnight) and may be requested to work on some weekends.

For the Accelerated option, students gain valuable hands-on experience through two supervised field placement opportunities. The first placement occurs over seven consecutive weeks in the Summer semester and the second occurs over four consecutive months in the Winter semester. Each placement is four days/week.

Field placement opportunities take place in agencies and institutions that offer services to the community within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The CYC program also offers international placement experiences when possible.

Required Courses

**Based on the results of your placement test, you may be required to take COMM 1000 Introduction to College Communication before progressing to COMM 1007. COMM 1000 does not count as a course required for graduation, and you will be charged for this extra course.

Accelerated Option Required Courses

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

• Develop and maintain relationships with children, youth, and their families applying principles of relational practice and respecting their unique life space, cultural and human diversity.
• Assess and respond to the strengths and needs of children and youth, including complex responses impacted by developmental, environmental, physical, emotional, social, and mental health challenges in order to promote positive change.
• Analyze and evaluate the impact of the inter-relationship among family, social service, justice, and community systems on children, youth, and their families and use this information in the planning of holistic care and in the reduction of systemic barriers.
• Plan, implement and evaluate interventions using evidence‐informed practices in the areas of therapeutic milieu and programming, and group work to promote resiliency and to enhance development in children, youth, and their families.
• Advocate for the rights of children, youth, and their families and maintain an anti-oppression perspective and cultural competence in diverse cultural contexts.
• Apply communication, teamwork, and organizational skills within the interprofessional team and with community partners to enhance the quality of service in child and youth care practice.
• Develop and implement self-care strategies using self-inquiry and reflection processes to promote self-awareness and to enhance practice as a child and youth care practitioner.
• Use evidence-based research, professional development resources, and supervision models to support professional growth and lifelong learning.

Your Career

Child and Youth Care graduates have found employment in:

• treatment centers
• group homes/residential placements
• hospitals
• educational settings
• community-based treatment programs
• shelters
• youth justice

Future Study Options

Graduates of the Child and Youth Care program may qualify for advanced standing in other programs at George Brown College. Some examples include (but are not limited to):

• Social Service Worker (Accelerated) (C135)
• Behavioural Science Technician (Accelerated) (C156)
• Community Worker (Accelerated) (C131)
• Early Childhood Education (Fast-Track) (C130)
• Assaulted Women's and Children's Counsellor/Advocate Program Direct Entry (C137)
• Career Development Practitioner (C406)

Child and Youth Care graduates are also eligible to apply for a degree completion program at the following institutions:

• Child and Youth Care at Ryerson University
• Child and Youth Care at Humber College
• School of Child and Youth Care at University of Victoria
• Justice Studies at Royal Roads University

Students are eligible for membership in the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care (OACYC), the professional association representing Child and Youth Workers in the province of Ontario.