Principles and Competencies for Working
with
Children and Youth
It is the professional responsibility of every Child and Youth Care worker to –
- Value and respect each child or young person as an
individual in his/her own right, in his/her role as a member of his/her
family, and in his/her role as a member of the community s/he lives in;
- Respect the relationship of the child or young person to his/her parents,
his/her siblings, other members of his/her family and other significant
persons, taking account of his/her natural ties and interdependent rights
and responsibilities;
- Facilitate the optimal growth and development of each individual child or
young person to achieve his or her potential in all aspects of functioning;
- Help each child or youth for whom he or she bears responsibility
by preventing problems where possible, by offering protection where
necessary, and by providing care and rehabilitation to counteract or resolve
the problems faced;
- Use information appropriately, respecting the privacy of children and
young people, maintaining confidentiality where necessary, respecting the
right of children and young people to be informed of matters concerning
themselves, and avoiding the misuse of personal information;
- Oppose at all times any form of discrimination, oppression or
exploitation of children and young people, and preserve their rights;
- Maintain personal and professional integrity, develop skills and
knowledge in order to work with competence, work co-operatively with
colleagues, monitor the quality of services, and contribute to the
development of the service and of policy and thinking in the field of
childcare.
All other standards expected of child care workers
follow from these seven clauses.
North America
Competencies for Professional Child & Youth Work
Practitioners
© 2010 Association for Child and Youth Care Practice
This document articulates the competencies necessary for fully
professional practiceacross the various settings in which Child and
Youth Care Professionals work. The document is the result of many years
of work by North American Child and Youth Care Professionals. Initial
development was undertaken by the North American Certification Project
(NACP), sponsored by the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice.
In March 2010, the Competency Review Committee of the Child and Youth
Care Certification Board (CYCCB) completed a review of the competencies
and recommended language changes to better reflect diverse settings and
evolving practices. These changes are included in this document. The
complete Competencies for Professional Child & Youth Work Practitioners
(2010) can be downloaded here.
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