CYC-Online, October 2025 (No. 320)
Editorial Comment: Pondering Charlie Kirk’s
murder
Dr Mark Smith
What It Will Take for Child and Youth Care
to Stay Relevant in the Global North?
Kiaras Gharabaghi
Ready? Preparing for Certain Uncertainty in
Child and Youth Care Practice
Patti Ranahan
The Journey into the Unknown: A
Connection-Focused Approach
Ziigwanbinesii Charles
Against the Use of Rewards in Residential
Child Care
Maddie Howley
Maybe you Smiled for the Rest of the Day?
Some comments on relationships and their infinite variety
Karen VanderVen
Postcard from Leon Fulcher from New Zealand
CYC WORLD CONFERENCE 2026
Healing Through Connection
24-26 June 2026, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
CALL FOR PAPERS
In 2026, the Child and Youth Care World Conference is returning to where it all began in 2013. The theme for the upcoming conference is Healing through Relationship. We are still connecting through all the areas identified in 2013, and we are also connecting to our history, to each other, and to the young people and families we serve.
We are delighted to announce that the Call for Proposals has been released here.
The deadline for submitting a proposal is October 15, 2025.
New Book Releases ...
Making Moments Meaningful in Child and Youth Care Practice (3rd Edition)
The Relational Thread: Mentoring in Child and Youth Care Practice
CYC-Net/ACRC Webinar Series: 7 October 2025, 1-4pm CST
Supervision and Leadership Coaching Styles: Fostering Critical Thinking and Growth
Frank Delano and Noor Almaoui
Good Supervisors give answers, excellent ones ask questions, and the truly great ones know what questions to ask!
This highly interactive workshop will discuss and present strategies to develop a coaching style for supervisors and leaders. Using a coaching mindset and coaching skills will lead to more critical thinking to enhance growth and staff development. The training will be delivered in the presenters’ unique “coaching style of training”.
Defining coaching and the components of a coaching mindset
Coaching, staff development, and the connection to retention of your high-quality staff
Developing excellent coaching questions
Encouraging critical thinking will lessen your need to micro-manage
* This 3-hour training will include one break.
Relational Practice as a concept within the caring professions (including Child & Youth Care, Social Care, Social Work, Education, Medicine, Psychology etc), has grown from the work of many pioneers over recent decades. Now, within a post-Covid, AI, and politically unstable landscape, it has become ever more necessary that the hard fought for ‘learning and leadership’ continues to be remembered and built on by the younger generations of practitioners, educators and researchers.
Speakers from around the world will present across a spectrum of related topics that can be viewed as relevant to the ‘leading and learning’ themes. Sessions will speak to the relevance and utility of the conference theme and support attendees to build on what we already know to shape future leadership.
Visit the Unity 2025 web site for the full program and to register.
Relational Child and Youth Care Practice, Vol.38 (1/2)
Editorial – “Resetting The Foundation Stones of Relational Practice” \ Martin Stabrey
From Individual Wellbeing to Mutuality in Everyday Care: Exploring Relational Practice and ‘Mattering’ in Child and Youth Care \ Sebastien Monteux
A Relational Approach to Two Communities: The United States Relationship-Based Community Meets Child and Youth Care \ Michael Murray
Perspectives of Direct Practice Child and Youth Care Staff in Group Homes \ Michelle Briegel and Sarah Friesen
Relational Leadership: Back to the Basics \ Lesley Goodyear, Kerri Hayley and Heather Modlin
On the Receiving End: An Exploration of Relational Practice from an Autistic Perspective \ Caitlin-Anne Dow
Building Trauma-Responsive Communities for Staff \ Beth Casarjian, Sascha Griffing and Jessica Linick
The Spaces in-between: Student-Instructor Relational Practice in Higher Education \ Jessica Williams, K. Larisa Hanssen, Robyn Kemp, Rachel Lum and Mia Schartau
Upbringing as the Purpose of Child and Youth Care Relationships \ Mark Smith
Pawsitive Partnerships in Child and Youth Care Practice \ Kirsten Hargreaves
Creating the Conditions for Relational Practice: Helping Things Go Well \ Clive Acraman and Natalie Dow
Building Relationships with Children: A ‘Money in the Bank’ Approach \ Frank Delano
Becoming Agents for Positive Therapeutic Change: Three Questions the ‘Person in the Parenting Role’ Should Ask \ Colin Maginn
