Course Description

Humber’s Child and Youth Care advanced diploma program prepares you to promote the optimal development of children, youth and their families. Students are required to develop skills in assessing needs, designing and implementing programs and planned environments, and using daily life events to support and facilitate positive change. The program provides foundational knowledge in infant, child and adolescent development; child and youth care relational practice principles; psychology of the family; evidence-based or evidence-informed intervention strategies; group dynamics; and therapeutic activities. You will learn that an essential component of professional practice is self-awareness, with many courses emphasizing self-reflection and the classroom being a professional practice environment. Your high energy level and emotional maturity will help you meet the demands of working with children and youth with complex needs. Our program is delivered by award-winning faculty, renowned in their field, with current, relevant experience and advanced degrees. Work placements with established partnerships are a critical component of this program. There is an exciting variety of innovative and traditional placements available in and around the Greater Toronto Area. Placements can also be arranged in your own community and are unpaid. For the first placement, opportunities are often school-based and occur two days a week for fifteen weeks. For the final two placements, you will be able to submit four to five placement choices with the school making the final decision. These work placements run four days per week. With our program, you can enjoy the rewards of a career where you make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and youth by: Understanding and learning about the complex challenges faced by children, youth and families Building on strengths and capacities, and working collaboratively Developing therapeutic relationships Utilizing daily life events as opportunities to promote and facilitate positive change Seeking out and connecting children, youth and their families with relevant, culturally specific and appropriate community resources Working as part of an inter-professional team Our graduates enter a field with opportunities in a variety of settings, including child protection agencies, community-based child and youth development programs, youth and women’s shelters, psychiatric hospitals, or early intervention and prevention programs.

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