Leadership in Child and Youth Care

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

• Child and youth care practitioners are often put into formal and informal leadership roles
• Understanding of leadership helps in the transition from line worker to leader.
• Leadership is closely linked with individual values, behaviours and beliefs. An understanding of this link is critical to successful CYCC leadership.
• Leadership is linked to individual values across the following areas: emotions, stress, motivation, performance and creativity.
• Leadership in CYC is often formal in team situations. In order to be an effective team leader, CYC practitioners need to have an understanding of team dynamics and communication in teams.
• CYC leaders need to understand the role of power in leadership and how power relates to conflict and negotiation in the workplace.
• Leadership is also found in organizations. CYC workers should be able to identify how leadership works in organizational settings and how organization structure influence leadership.
• Given the fluid nature of government, CYC leaders need to understand how organization change takes place.
• Leadership in social services and in education is influenced by government and politics and as such, has enormous influence in all CYC leaders working in social services.
• Understanding balance and self-care is important in sustaining leadership