Principles and Competencies for Working
with
Children and Youth in Out of Home Care
Core Principles
Trauma-Informed Care
- Recognize the impact of trauma on development and behavior.
- Prioritize safety, trust, and empowerment in all interactions.
Child-Centered and Strengths-Based Approach
- Focus on the child’s unique needs, preferences, and cultural
background.
- Build on their strengths rather than deficits.
Cultural Competence and Responsiveness
- Respect and incorporate the
child’s cultural, racial, ethnic, and religious identity.
- Acknowledge the overrepresentation of marginalized groups (e.g.,
Indigenous, Black, LGBTQIA+ youth) in care systems.
Child Centred Strengths-Based Approaches
- Focus on the child's strengths, protective factors, and
resilience rather than just their deficits and challenges.
- Use positive and empowering language, and help children identify
and build on their skills and abilities.
Relationships-Focused Care
- Building stable, consistent, and trusting relationships is
essential for a child's emotional stability and healthy development.
- Practitioners should focus on developing genuine, empathetic
relationships with the children and youth they serve.
Stability and
Continuity of Care
- Minimise placement disruptions to foster secure
attachments.
- Support connections with siblings, birth families (when
safe), and community.
- Provide consistency in staffing and care to foster a sense of
security and stability, which is often lacking in the lives of
children in out-of-home care.
Culturally Safe Care
- Recognize and respect the child's cultural identity, heritage,
and community connections.
- Ensure that placements are culturally safe and that children can
maintain connections to their family, culture, and communities.
Rights-Based Practice
- Uphold the child’s
rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
- Ensure participation in decisions affecting their lives.
Family and
Community Engagement
- Promote family reunification when possible and
safe.
- Strengthen ties with extended family and community supports.
Resilience and Future Preparedness
- Support education, life skills, and
emotional coping strategies.
- Prepare youth for independent living
through transitional programs.
Key Competencies for Professionals and
Caregivers
Relational and Emotional Skills
- Ability to form
secure, trusting relationships.
- Active listening and empathy to
address emotional needs.
Communication Skills
- Active listening: Paying full attention to what the
child is saying, both verbally and non-verbally.
- Clear and age-appropriate communication: Conveying
information in a way that is easy for the child to understand,
taking into account their age, developmental stage, and trauma
history.
- Non-verbal communication: Understanding and using
appropriate body language, tone, and facial expressions.
- Boundary setting: Establishing and maintaining
appropriate professional boundaries to create a safe and predictable
environment.
Behavioral and Crisis Management
- De-escalation techniques for trauma-related behaviors.
- Knowledge of
positive behavior support (PBS) strategies.
Advocacy and Systems
Navigation
- Understanding of child welfare, legal, and educational
systems.
- Ability to advocate for the child’s best interests.
Cultural
Humility and Anti-Oppressive Practice
- Ongoing self-reflection on biases
and power dynamics.
- Collaboration with cultural consultants or elders
when needed.
Collaborative Teamwork
- Work effectively with
caseworkers, therapists, teachers, and birth families.
- Participate in
case planning and multidisciplinary meetings.
Professionalism and Ethics
- Ethical conduct: Adhering to a strong code of ethics, including
confidentiality, integrity, and non-discrimination, consent and
reporting laws. (See
Ethics).
- Advocacy: Championing the rights and needs of children and
youth, and advocating on their behalf within the system and the
community.
- Teamwork and collaboration: Working cooperatively with other
professionals, family members, and community resources.
- Self-reflection and continuous learning: Engaging in ongoing
professional development, seeking supervision, and reflecting on
one's own practice.
Lifespan Development Knowledge
- Awareness of
age-specific needs (e.g., early childhood vs. adolescence).
- Support
for developmental milestones and identity formation.
Practical Skills
- Life-space work: Using everyday activities and
interactions (the "life-space") as opportunities for learning,
support, and therapeutic intervention.
- Behavioral guidance: Using positive and supportive
strategies to guide behavior and help children develop
self-regulation skills, avoiding punitive or shaming approaches.
- Program planning: Designing and implementing activities
and programs that promote development, well-being, and social
skills.
- Health and safety: Ensuring a safe and stimulating
environment and providing for the child's basic physical needs.
Self-Care and
Professional Resilience
- Mitigate vicarious trauma and burnout through
self-care strategies.
- Seek supervision and peer support.
Best
Practices in Out-of-Home Care Settings
- Regular, meaningful visitation with family (where appropriate
and if possible).
- Consistent routines to
provide stability.
- Therapeutic interventions tailored to trauma
history.
- Education support (e.g., IEPs, tutoring).
- Transition
planning for aging-out youth (housing, employment, mentorship).
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.
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