Program Description Humber’s Bachelor of Child and Youth Care degree program provides you with the knowledge and skills required for in-depth work with children, youth and families. The program is based on the professional practice of child and youth care supported by the disciplines of psychology, sociology, community development, political science and education. The curriculum focuses on the theory and research of relational practice: building relationships to support children and youth in crisis or going through experiences of challenge and change.
You’ll learn from highly qualified professors, as well as from guest lecturers from the child and youth care practice field, youth in care and community representatives. You’ll have the unique opportunity to develop key skills under supervision in our state-of-the-art interview labs, therapeutic play laboratory setting, our family practice room and children’s activity room.
Your courses integrate the study of developmental, preventative and therapeutic approaches in child and youth care and will teach you direct methods such as interviewing and counselling, responding to abuse, therapeutic play, and other intervention modalities taught from a strength-based perspective and within a caring, anti-oppressive framework.
The first two years of the program provide you with a comprehensive understanding of child and youth development, as well as current methodologies in child and youth care professional practice. In the final two years, you will be able to engage in courses related to five areas of concentration in the program – youth justice and advocacy, social policy and research, approaches to care, community development and youth engagement, and international perspectives. The curriculum and work placement experiences throughout the program will support you to select a focus for your final thesis project in fourth year.
Beginning in the first semester, you will have the opportunity to participate in an introductory field project that will enable you to apply theory to practice. In your second semester, you will be prepared for more advanced field projects by partcipating in our Professional Practice course, enabling you to then select and learn through field projects beginning in Semester 3. These projects will support you to develop your skills working in the community with children, youth and families.
In addition, you will be required to complete a 14-week unpaid work placement between third and fourth year. The combination of work placements and field projects will enable you to build therapeutic relationships, role model your professional skills and link academic theory to child and youth care practice.
