Advanced Practice in Child and Youth Care 1

The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:

• Practicum provides the student with opportunities to have direct experience with children, youth and families under the supervision of professionals at the placement and Douglas College faculty.  By the end of this practicum, students will be working at a level of independence appropriate to professional child and youth care providers in the setting.
• The ability to work in a child and youth care setting and maintain a level of quality work over the course of the whole practicum is a basic expectation of professional practice.
• Child and youth care assessment requires knowledge of general assessment criteria in order to effectively use a field-based assessment tool.  Fourth year child and youth care students will demonstrate increasing independence in assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation skills and, under supervision, will initiate and organize these activities in their setting.
• Appropriate professional and ethical behaviour in the practicum setting requires a knowledge of professional practice codes of conduct and knowledge of agency and governmental policies. Discussion and analysis of professional and ethical behaviour will focus on ethical dilemmas where several values are often in conflict.  In all cases, professional and ethical practice on practicum is a requirement of practice.
• Feedback on practice from experienced supervisors and faculty provides the student with immediate learning in a real setting where learning can be put into action.
• Practitioners develop an understanding of their professional role and learn to understand and appreciate the roles of allied professions.  In human services, child and youth care practitioners work with teachers, social workers, psychologists, health professionals and many others.  Experience and discussion provide opportunities to articulate the child and youth care role and the roles of allied professions clearly.
• In this practicum child and youth care students will demonstrate increasing levels of responsibility, self-direction and autonomy.