Personal and Professional Issues for the Youth Justice Worker

Curriculum Guideline

Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course Code
YJWD 1100
Descriptive
Personal and Professional Issues for the Youth Justice Worker
Department
Youth Justice
Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Credits
3.00
Start Date
End Term
201920
PLAR
Yes
Semester Length
15
Max Class Size
30
Contact Hours
4 hours per week lecture
Learning Activities

This course may be team taught in order to draw on the expertise of various faculty to meet course objectives.

This course will employ a number of instructional methods to meet course objectives, which may include:

  • Lectures
  • Audio-visual material
  • Group work
  • Case studies
  • Guest lectures
  • Seminars
  • Presentations

Course Description
This course will examine issues critical to the student’s development as a youth justice worker. The principal course objective is for students to develop a realistic awareness of the professional role associated with working with youth in the justice system. Emphasis will be placed on student analysis of personal values and how these are incorporated into a professional role. Ethical theories and decision-making skills that adhere to professional roles, policy requirements, and legal obligations will be the foundation of this course. Students will also increase self-awareness and develop plans for effectively managing personal and work related stressors.
Course Content

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

  1. The Role of the Youth Justice Worker
    • What is the role of the Youth Justice Worker?
    • The role of the Youth Justice Worker in the Canadian Criminal Justice System.
    • The role of the Youth Justice Worker in the provincial child and family services sector.
  2. Values and Ethics for the Youth Justice Worker
    • Identifying personal values and their origins
    • Connecting values to ethical conduct
    • Working with ethical dilemmas
    • Ethics and legislation
      • The Canadian Charter of Rights
      • The B.C. Human Rights Act
    • Ethics and Professional membership Practices
      • For criminologists
      • For child and youth care counsellors
      • For other educators
      • For counsellors and other helpers
  3. Leadership and Teamwork
    • Personality and leadership style
    • Enhancing leadership skills
    • Identifying the effects of leadership style on others
    • Understanding basic group dynamics
    • Effective communication for team building
  4. Conflict and Negotiation
    • Identifying and understanding conflicts
    • Basic negotiation skills
  5. Cross Cultural Awareness
    • Learning how to communicate across cultures
    • Working with negative cultural perceptions, attitudes and stereotypes
  6. Developing Personal Wellness Practices
    • Identifying sources of stress           
      • Physical
      • Cognitive
      • Emotional
      • Spiritual
    • Selecting appropriate stress and time management strategies
    • Developing personal wellness plans

 

Learning Outcomes

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

YJWD 1100 has been developed to provide students with an understanding of personal and professional roles related to working with youth in the justice system. 

By the end of the course students will demonstrate the ability to identify and practice professional behaviour appropriate for working in the youth justice system.

Knowledge:

Students will be able to:

  • Discuss the role of values in youth justice work.
  • Define the role of the youth justice worker.
  • Define various professional work styles.
  • Discuss appropriate professional work skills for youth justice workers.
  • Assess the value of various work and leadership styles.
  • Define the basic concepts of team building and group dynamics.
  • Define conflict and discuss basic conflict negotiation practices.
  • Define and discuss ethics appropriate for working with youth in the justice system.
  • Define concepts such as diversity, ethnocentrism, prejudice, and harassment.
  • Discuss the impact of culture on communication and decision making.
  • Discuss the policies, legislation and strategies related to ethical conduct for youth justice workers.
  • Discuss personal management strategies related to identifiable personal and professional time and stress factors.

Skills:

Students will be able to:

  • Identify their personal value system and its influences.
  • Identify and interpret policies and legislation related to appropriate ethical behaviour.
  • Show awareness of the impact of cultural diversity on communication in the youth justice work environment.
  • Articulate their leadership styles.
  • Identify and develop plans for time and stress management.

Means of Assessment

Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College Policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. 

Evaluation will be based on some of the following:

  • Exams
  • Skills demonstration, identification and analysis
  • Oral presentations
  • Research project and professional wellness plan
  • Class participation/personal and professional behaviour

No single element will be weighted at more than 40% of the student’s final grade. There will be no less than 3 methods of evaluation in this course.

Textbook Materials

To be announced

Prerequisites

Admission to the Youth Justice Worker Program or Department permission.

Which Prerequisite

YJWD 1200 (or concurrent) and YJWD 1240 (or concurrent) and YJWD 2300