What Does a Child and Youth Care Worker Do?

Child and Youth Care Workers focus on the developmental needs of children and families within the space and time of their daily lives. They work with children, youth and families with complex needs using a strength based prospective. Child and Youth Care Workers believe that there is “No Such Thing as a Bad Kid” and model that idea in their practice everyday. Child and Youth Care Workers help young people and families discover their best and support them so they can succeed in all aspects of their lives.

Read on to learn what Child and Youth Care Worker in St. John’s do. You’ll also learn how Eastern Academy can help prepared you for this exciting career!

What Does a Child and Youth Care Worker Do?

Child and Youth Care Workers specialize in the development and implementation of therapeutic programs in planned environments. They utilize of daily life events to facilitate change in the youth and families they work with.

A Child and Youth Care Worker’s purpose is to assist and counsel young people and their families who are going through various difficult situations. They offer psychological guidance and support to their clients for issues with:

• Mental health and wellness
• Healthy development
• Life skills
• Substance use/abuse
• All types of abuse
• Social adjustment
• Academic challenges
• Emotional, social and behavioural challenges

In this line of work, the worker’s main priority is monitoring the overall well-being of minors, but this isn’t everything that they do. They evaluate social programs and determine their effectiveness. They provide testimony in legal cases.

Being a Child and Youth Care Worker is not an easy task. It can be difficult and exhausting, but it is also very rewarding!

What Skills and Qualifications Are Needed?

A Child and Youth Care Worker needs to have a certain skill set to thrive in this career. The ideal set of skills includes:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong sense of compassion and empathy
• Effective organization and administration skills
• Intuition and decision making
• A can-do attitude that motivates others
• Analytical, problem-solver; conflict resolution
• Professionalism, strong work ethic
• Creative, initiative, flexible, and responsive to the environment

The job prospects for this field seem to be balanced though funding may alter the need for more care workers for children and youth.

Eastern Academy has a program to prepare students for a career as a Child and Youth Care Worker.

The Child and Youth Care/Addictions Support Worker certification from Eastern Academy is 82 weeks long. It includes field trips to community agencies. It also incorporates two field placements that span 6 to 8 weeks.

Start Classes for Child and Youth Care Worker in St. John’s Today!

A Child and Youth Care Worker makes a world of difference in the lives of children and adolescents who find themselves in difficult situations. If you want to pursue this career, you may find that Eastern Academy is the best fit for you.

Contact Eastern Academy today to work towards your goal of becoming a Child and Youth Care Worker in St. John’s. Classes start soon!