WELCOME!
The Child and Youth Care Association of British Columbia (CYCABC) is a professional association dedicated to supporting the growth and advancement of the child and youth care (CYC) profession. CYCABC brings together practitioners across British Columbia with a shared vision of strengthening the profession and ensuring the delivery of diverse, high-quality services for children, youth and families and communities.
Our membership includes human service practitioners, volunteers, and emerging and established leaders who are committed to upholding Child and Youth Care values across British Columbia’s community social services sector.
CYCABC is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors consisting of four (4) Executive Officers and four (4) Members-At-Large. Learn more about the CYCABC Mission, Vision and Objectives
SCOPE OF PRACTICE
(from Council of Canadian Child and Youth Care Associations)
The practice of Child and Youth Care occurs within the context of therapeutic relationships with children and youth who are experiencing difficulties in their lives. Intervention takes place within the family, the community and other social institutions, and centres on promoting emotional, social and behavioural change and well-being within the context of daily living.
DEFINITION
(from Council of Canadian Child and Youth Care Associations)
Child and youth care practitioners work with children, youth and families with complex needs. They can be found in a variety of settings such as group homes and residential treatment centres, hospitals and community mental health clinics, community-based outreach and school-based programs, parent education and family support programs, as well as in private practice and juvenile justice programs. Child and youth care workers specialize in the development and implementation of therapeutic programs and planned environments and the utilization of daily life events to facilitate change. At the core of all effective child and youth care practice is a focus on the therapeutic relationship; the application of theory and research about human growth and development to promote the optimal physical, psycho-social, spiritual, cognitive, and emotional development of young people towards a healthy and productive adulthood; and a focus on strengths and assets rather than pathology.