Course

Critical Issues in Current Child and Youth Care Practice

Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Department
Child and Youth Care
Course code
CYCC 3621
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course examines current issues of risk in the lives of children and youth. Students will analyze areas of practice using theoretical frameworks relevant to CYC practice and will develop interventions appropriate to the risk issue. Students will demonstrate competence in real or simulated examples of risk situations using professional knowledge, skills, values and styles.
Course content
  1. An understanding of risk, protective and resiliency factors in the lives of children and youth in general with specific reference to:
    • Ethnicity and culture
    • Gender and sexuality
    • Racism
    • Colonization
    • Poverty
  2. Knowledge of current risk issues in the lives of children and youth such as:
    • Mental health
    • Sexual health
    • Physical health
    • Technology and social media
  3. Contributions of  risk research to the design of successful interventions
  4. A beginning understanding of assessment and intervention in areas such as:
    • Emotional and behavioural disorders
    • Autistic spectrum disorders
    • Schizophrenia
    • Depression
    • Suicide
    • Youth violence
  5. Knowledge of socio-ecological practice models that situate risk and resilience as interactions involving the person, their environment, and the socio-political conditions within which they live.
  6. Integration of knowledge of theory, knowledge of self and current practice in the development of a personal theory of CYC counselling.
Learning activities

Lecture

Means of assessment

Typical means of evaluation may include a combination of written research assignments, case evaluation, testing, and group presentations. Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course. 

This is a letter-graded course

Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation must be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline. 

 

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Discuss current issues of risk in the lives of children and youth
  2. Apply current child and youth care practice models in response to risk issues in the lives of children and youth
  3. Articulate the relevance of their practice philosophy to current field issues and the organizations in the field of  child and youth care (CYC)
  4. Describe themselves as child and youth care practitioners in terms of their personal philosophy of change
  5. Evaluate the impact of and adjust for their own personal assumptions and areas of personal bias in relationship to issues affecting children and youth.
Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester.

Requisites

Prerequisites

CYCC 3520 with a minimum grade of C

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for CYCC 3621
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) No credit
Simon Fraser University (SFU) No credit
Trinity Western University (TWU) No credit
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) No credit
University of Northern BC (UNBC) No credit
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV CYC 321 (3)

Course Offerings

Fall 2026

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
35
On waitlist
0
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. C
Room
C1005
Times:
Start Time
17:30
-
End Time
20:20
Section notes

This course is restricted to fourth-year part-time BACYC. On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at 9:00AM, registration opens to all BACYC students.