Program Description
The Child and Youth Worker program at Cambrian College prepares students to work with children and adolescents who are experiencing emotional and behavioural challenges in a variety of settings, including schools, mental health settings, Children's Aid Societies, residential treatment centres, and other social agencies. The program emphasizes intervention techniques, treatment philosophies, and the range of skills necessary to effectively facilitate positive change for children, adolescents, and families in care. Students embark on a two-year compressed process of skill development encompassing greater self-awareness and confidence as well as the attitudes, skills, and knowledge needed to work in the field. Learning occurs in theory and lab courses as well as during the two field work semesters. Shift work, which involves afternoons, nights, days, and weekends, is a reality in many child and youth work settings, and students will be required to follow such work routines during their fieldwork placements.
