Listen to this

practice

Ten principles of Child and Youth Care work

When we can distill clear operating principles to reach the Mission Statement which we set ourselves, we gain a portable guide with which we can test our every action on line.

1. Normalisation
   The Child and Youth Care worker will be committed to ensuring the child/youth is exposed to learning activities which promote his or her developmental needs from the perspective of normal, healthy development – socially, mentally, physically and emotionally.

2. Child advocacy
   The Child and Youth Care worker will respect and uphold the physical and social and emotional rights of the child/youth from a legal, moral and cultural perspective.

3. Privacy
   The Child and Youth Care worker will respect the need of the child, youth or family for privacy and personal space.

4. Individualisation
   The Child and Youth Care worker will respect the uniqueness of each child within his/her care, and will provide appropriate management and treatment approaches according to individual client needs.

5. Systems integration
   The Child and Youth Care worker will recognise and provide for the needs of the child/youth within the larger context of his/her family and community, and will consider treatment within the larger environment of other social services, agencies and professionals.

6. Empowerment
   The Child and Youth Care worker will promote the resourcefulness of each client/family by providing them with opportunities to build and use their own support networks, and act on their own choices and sense of responsibility.

7. Quality intervention
   The Child and Youth Care worker will provide quality of service through effective case and management, and appropriate intervention strategies.

8. Continuity of care
   The Child and Youth Care worker will ensure that the changing social, emotional, physical cognitive and cultural needs of the child/youth/family are maintained throughout the treatment phases, and will ensure that additional support resources are available after termination.

9. Accountability
   The Child and Youth Care worker will at all times consider him/herself as a professional, and his/her conduct will reflect the ethical principles as defined by the profession.

10. Professionalisation
    The Child and Youth Care worker will place importance on his/her continued personal and professional growth, and on the enhancement and expansion of the child care field as a developing profession.