CAAT Child & Youth Worker Programs Provincial ... - Mohawk College

P.O. Box 631, Station A
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1K 5E9
T 416-289-5000 F 416-289-5063
centennialcollege.ca
CAAT Child & Youth Worker Programs
Provincial Coordinators’ Meeting
May 13-15, 2008
Scarborough Room #3
Centennial College Residence & Conference Centre
Present
College Coordinator(s) and faculty guests
Algonquin College Jane Trakalo
Cambrian College Jennifer Cawley Caruso (Secretary to the meeting)
Centennial College Gloria Goldin, Chairwoman,
Wendy Daxon, Christina Gauthier….
Durham College Chris Harris
Fanshawe College Joanne Cox, Julie Cross
George Brown College Anne Black
Georgian College Kathleen Common
Humber College Heather Snell, Liz Cochrane
La Cité Collégial Christian Chénard
Lambton College Mary McHenry, Bob Free
Loyalist College Lisa Shunock
Mohawk College Sue Nadwodny, Alexandra Butty, Pat Anderchek
Niagara College Walter Goffin
Northern College Steve Crema
St. Clair College Joy Kemble, Karen Martin
St. Lawrence College Michael Burns
Sheridan College Kristina Arena, Karen Malis
Guests
Carol Stuart, Ryerson University
Dennis McDermott, Ontario Association of Child & Youth Counsellors
Regrets
Collège Boréal, Confederation College, Sault College

1. Minutes of the meeting of 2007
Motion to approve the minutes as circulated
Moved by: Wendy Daxon
Seconded by: Michael Burns
Carried
2. Review of the agenda
Agreement on agenda reached by consensus
3. Current challenges, trends and issues
� Each coordinator reviewed highlights and issues from the 07-08
academic year. Summaries of these presentations are appended.
4. Millennial student update
� A round table discussion identified mental health issues as a
concern which participants wished to further discuss. This discussion
was tabled to the Wednesday afternoon session.
5. a) Curriculum assessment and use of competencies template
� Carol Stuart, researcher and professor in the School of Child &
Youth Care, Ryerson University reviewed the process employed to
document competencies taught in college and university programs
and to track them within a conceptual framework which identifies
attitudes, skills, and knowledge, evidence-based competence, and
the level of learning as per Bloom’s taxonomy.
� Carol noted that evidence-based practice is rare in child and youth
practice. The agency staff who participated in the research focus
groups indicated that they prefer to do their own training in evidencebased
treatment.
� Evidence-based competence was presented as a goal of postsecondary
programs. Evidence-based competence is defined as a
set of evidence or research which describes what any profession
needs in order to create a competent worker. In child and youth care
such evidence was provided to the research done by Carol Stuart
and Bill Carty through the various documents that describe the
current standards of competence that exist in the field.

) Follow-up report and discussion of the framework used
following use of the competencies template
� Participant colleges described their uses of the research report,
for example, in informing Program Advisory Committee
discussions, guiding curriculum review, supporting students’
understanding of the scope of CYW practice.
� Carol Stuart offered to create a summary checklist (one page) of
vocational outcomes which can be more easily used by CYW
programs.
� Carol Stuart will respond to e-mail requests to receive the spread
sheet and template.
� Carol noted that Pat Anderchuk and her Mohawk College
colleagues in the Learning and Teaching Centre developed the
Excel spreadsheet and pivot tables, the project modified the
sheet. Mohawk College is advised each time the spreadsheet
template is shared.
c) Coordinators’ resolution
As a group of CAAT coordinators of Child & Youth Worker Programs, we endorse
the research funded by the Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child & Youth Mental
Health at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, a Centre funded by the Ontario
Ministry for Children & Youth Services. The research was supported by CYW,
CAAT coordinators, and included participation by CYW programs from the following
colleges: Algonquin, Cambrian, Fanshawe, George Brown, Humber, St. Clair and
Ryerson University. The research report is entitled “The role of competence in
outcomes for children and youth: An approach for mental health.” (Stuart & Carty,
2006)
The intent of this research was to do the following:
� to review the competencies required for entry-level CYC/CYW practice ,
� to examine how post-secondary programs are educating CYC/CYW
practitioners related to these competencies, and
� to establish a network of educators, employers and policy makers who have
a common interest in standards of CYC/CYW practice.
Of the recommendations generated by the above noted research, the first three of
these recommendations are, in our view, particularly relevant to CYW education in
the province of Ontario.
1. All Child and Youth Worker Programs make use of the Curriculum
translation tool developed in this project to compare their curriculum to a
given set of standards (including the Child and Youth Worker Program
Standards/vocational outcomes), in order to identify gaps and areas where
the tangible products of curriculum (course outlines) do not reflect the actual
intents.
2. Standards of practice need to be developed for the profession of child and
youth care/work which link the certification program of the professional
association, the vocational standards defined for CYW programs and the
college and university programs.
3. An accreditation process for child and youth care/work programs to ensure
that the needs and changing practices of the various sectors of the field are
reflected in curriculum in a timely manner.

Resolution
As a group responsible for the curriculum development and training of child and
youth workers in the province of Ontario, the coordinators present at this meeting,
resolve to support the above recommendations.
6. Provincial CYW Educators’ Website: spin.mohawkcollege.ca/cyw/caat
Pat Anderchuk, Mohawk College described the website as a platform for
sharing resources. Notes from coordinators’ meetings, program standards and
other essential information are now found on this site. The group agreed that a
wiki, i.e., a website which can be edited by registered members, would be a
helpful addition to the CYW Educators’ Website.
7. CYC.net
Michael Burns informed the group that the web-based resource CYC.net may close
because of insufficient funds. Currently this resource is funded by the contributions
of researchers and others in the CYC/CYW field. The three founders have
contributed $5,000.
A number of funding efforts are in the development stage. The Ontario Association
of Child and Youth Counsellors (OACYC) Board of Directors have agreed to collect
$2.00 from each member who volunteers to pay this extra levy when his/her
membership is renewed. Michael Barnes will donate 10% of the proceeds from the
sale of his most recently published book. Michael further noted that some colleges
have agreed to pay $300-500 annually to CYC-net as reimbursement for student
and faculty use of a valuable resource.
Michael requested that each coordinator request that his/her respective college pay
an annual fee to ensure that CYC-net remains viable. An invoice can be printed
from the website and official receipts will be issued.
8. Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Task Force
Carol Stuart, co-chair of the task force indicated that work began in the fall of 2007.
The first step, a national survey of faculty teaching in CYW/CYC programs, was
completed recently. The survey provided overwhelming support for the accreditation
of education programs.
The task force has begun monthly meetings to develop work plans and a funding
strategy. The design parameters include a graduated approach and the use of
existing program review processes. The task force will post information at
http://cyceduaccred.pbwiki.com

9. Report from the Ontario Association of Child & Youth Counsellors (OACYC)
Dennis McDermott, Executive Director reported on the current issues and priorities
of the OACYC. He noted the increased participation of students at conferences
which have been held in community colleges in a number of regions of the province.
He also asked the group for feedback about the committee structure of the OACYC.
The coordinators indicated that child welfare and youth justice are sectors of child
and youth work practice and that it would be worthwhile to add committees which
could answer the needs of members in these sectors. Existing committees include,
Educators, Hospital-based, Private practice, Residential, and School-based.
Finally, Dennis described the work of the committee seeking a governmentlegislated
regulatory body of child and youth workers. The committee is in the initial
stages of development and has collected and reviewed documents from other
professions and collected the names of contacts of resource persons.
10. Supporting students with mental health challenges
The coordinators shared strategies for maintaining program integrity and supporting
vulnerable students. The most effective strategies focused on naming and
discussing inappropriate behaviours and applying the code of conduct and
behavioural guidelines approved by the college administration.
11. Organization of future coordinators’ meetings
Moved by: Joanne Cox
Seconded by : Julie Cross
That the organization and facilitation of future meetings be shared by the colleges in
geographic regions as noted below.
Carried.
2009 Southwest Region: Lambton, Fanshawe and St. Clair Colleges
2010 City-west Region: Sheridan, Humber, Niagara, Mohawk Colleges
2011 Eastern Region: Algonquin, La Cité, Loyalist, St. Lawrence Colleges
2012 Northern Region: Collège Boréal Cambrian, Confederation, Sault, Northern
Colleges
Small group work
Field placement discussion
� Agreement reached that each field coordinator post the numbers, location
and timing of placements on the Education site wiki. Karen Malis agreed to
develop a template to distribute to all field coordinators.
� Organizing committee for 2009 meeting will ensure that there is a block of
time during which field successes and challenges can be discussed.

Attracting male students to CYW Programs
� Identified issues which influence students choices, e.g., misperception that
salaries are low, bias that work with youth is “female work”
� Need to communicate more clearly about opportunities for interesting well
paid work and articulation with university programs
� Males more often have a police record
� Sometimes males gain unfair advantage, i.e., premier placements and jobs
which are not necessarily reflective of their knowledge and skills
� Strategies identified:
1. promote private practice,
2. educate guidance counselors that this is a growing field,
3. have male students act as mentors for other male students,
4. match males with appropriate field placement agency mentors and
settings,
5. promote the program as a second diploma for male
recreation/leisure programs, and
6. remember that nursing programs have had success in ‘gender
marketing’.
7. when the college provides opportunities to market the programs
have a male spokesperson whenever possible.
8. use You-tube to profile student experiences in the program
Student Exchange Development
� Discussed road trips from rural settings to city settings
� Discussed faculty exchange possibilities
� Aboriginal/First Nations communities and experiences for students
� Planning committee for 2009 will ask for input from a First Nations
community
Thank you for Dennis McDermott
� We discussed ways to express our appreciation to Dennis who is retiring as
Executive Director of the OACYC in August 08.
� We agreed that a presentation be made at the 50 th anniversary of the
OACYC in summer 2009. Michael Burns will discuss with Terri McDade,
member of the OACYC Educators committee.
Date for next meeting
May 12-14, 2009, tentatively planned for the Barrie area.