While you may have heard of programs like SSW, ECE and CYC, there is a good chance you don’t know what each program teaches. You’re not alone— many people often get Mohawk College’s various Community Service programs confused with each other.
Sometimes this confusion can even lead to students taking programs that don’t align with their career goals.
To help individuals entering the Community Service field choose a program that aligns with their career goals, Child and Youth Care students Austin and Rebbeca give their insight on what CYC means, the role of a CYC/CYCP and what Mohawk College’s CYC program is like.
What does CYC mean?
CYC stands for Child and Youth Care. In the context of CYC, a child or youth is someone between the ages of six and 21. Individuals who work in CYC may have a title such as Child and Youth Care Practitioner (CYCP).
What does it mean to be a CYC/CYCP?
CYC-CYCPs have a broad range of duties, and their day-to-day job can depend on factors such as:
- The child or youth with whom they are working
- The needs of the child or youth
- The agency or program where the CYC is working
Even though the role can vary a lot there are many shared characteristics of the job.
Professional duties
Like other Community Service jobs such as ECE, CYC focuses on caring for the well-being of children, youth and families. While they are similar in that regard, ECE and CYC fulfill quite distinct roles.
“A lot of people try to compare CYC to ECE, which isn’t entirely inaccurate, but it is also a much more limiting scope of what CYC is,” Austin says.
The main role of a CYC/CYCP is to help children and youth work through mental, behavioural and emotional challenges, as well as to facilitate healthy development in those areas, with a focus on relationship building.
While CYC/CYCPs provide counselling and use many therapeutic techniques in their work, they are not licensed therapists.
“We can help give advice and things like that, but we’re not there to make a diagnosis,” Rebbeca says. “We’re not there to prescribe medications or anything like that.
Other duties of a CYC/CYCP can include:
- Therapeutic programming
- Relationship building
- Crisis intervention
- Creating and implementing development plans
- Supporting children and youth in gaining life and social skills
- Assisting in classrooms
- Day-to-day tasks and interactions
Children and youth
Even within the ages of six and 21, CYC/CYCPs work with a diverse group of children and youth
“These are children that come from different social, economic, emotional well-being and behavioural backgrounds,” says Rebbeca.
Because of this, CYC/CYCPs help children and youth work through a broad range of mental, emotional and behavioural challenges. Some examples of these challenges include:
- Mental health issues (anxiety, depression, eating disorders, etc.)
- Trauma caused by abuse
- Substance abuse issues
- Difficulty integrating into a school environment
CYC/CYCPs also work closely with a child’s or youth’s caregivers. This includes collaborating on development plans and updating them on the child’s or youth’s progress, as well as educating and supporting them on a child’s or youth’s specific needs and managing conflict.
Work environment
CYC/CYCPs can work with children and youth in many different settings.
Austin says “You could be working in a school, you could be working in hospitals, both in a general capacity or in specific areas.”
A few examples of specific healthcare areas include:
- Out-of-home environments
- Schools
- Outpatient mental health programs
- Hospitals
- Addiction treatment centres
- Shelters
- Community centres
- Custody and youth justice environments
Some CYC/CYCPs will also work at a client’s place of residence, whether it’s where they live permanently or temporarily. Some CYC/CYCPs will also work at a client’s place of residence, whether it’s where they live permanently or temporarily.
“If a child or youth has to go and live at a facility for a little while, we would be there,” Rebbeca says.“If a child or youth has to go and live at a facility for a little while, we would be there,” Rebbeca says.
What makes a good CYC/CYCP?
The role of a CYC/CYCP is diverse, and there are various skills, proficiencies and traits that someone who wants to follow this career path should have to be successful.
Knowing how to work in a team
When helping a child or youth, CYC/CYCPs normally work with an interdisciplinary team of health professionals. This can include:
- Social workers
- Psychiatrists
- Doctors
- Probations officers
- Teachers
Every member of the care team plays a vital role in helping to improve a child’s or youth’s mental and emotional well-being. To deliver the most effective care, it’s essential for team members to collaborate, sharing their knowledge and skills to support one another.
“CYCs typically work closest with the children and youth,” Rebbeca says, “so any information that you bring to meetings and things like that is going to be crucial.”
Having good literacy skills
Strong reading and writing skills are highly beneficial for a CYC/CYCP. These professionals frequently review various types of documentation, including:
- Case files
- Medical documentation
- Legal documentation
- Company policies and procedures
These documents can contain many pages of information, so having good reading comprehension skills and the ability to know what information is key is incredibly helpful.
“Those (company) policies can be a chore to read,” Austin says, “so being able to find what you’re looking for is a very good skill to have.”
Having solid writing skills is also an asset since CYC/CYCPs must complete various kinds of documentation about the child or youth and their treatment. These documents typically need to be completed promptly, such as following a session with a child or youth and must be thorough, clear and professional.
Being a “people person"
Possessing exceptional people skills, along with being compassionate and dedicated to the well-being of children and youth, is essential for being an effective CYC/CYCP. Relational practice is at the foundation of CYC/CYCP work.
“You have to be a people person,” Rebbeca says. “You have to be able to show up authentically and genuinely for the children and youth that you’re going to be working with.”
Part of this authenticity is being able to have meaningful conversations with children, youth and their caregivers. In these conversations, you will be gathering essential information about the child or youth that will form the basis the child or youth’s Plan of Care.
Along with knowing what to say and how to say it, CYC/CYCPs also need to be in tune with the child or youth’s thoughts and emotions to know when it is time to listen.
“A lot of these kids don’t have that person in their life that can advocate for them,” Rebbeca says. “So, part of your job is making sure their voice is being heard and their needs, and specifically what they’re saying they need, are going to be met.”
Mohawk College’s Child and Youth Care Program
If you want to pursue a career as a CYC/CYCP, you will need to complete a postsecondary Child and Youth Care program at a registered college or university. Mohawk College’s three-year Child and Youth Care program gives students both the training and experience they require to find success in the CYC field.
The program’s curriculum covers topics such as:
- Life and social skills development
- Trauma, abuse and resiliency
- Conflict management and resolution
- Learners who are neurodiverse
- Professionalism
The Child and Youth Care program facilitates an inclusive and diverse environment where students are encouraged to learn from each other and expand their perspectives.
“Everyone comes from a different background,” Austin says. “Everyone has something that they’re working on, and it always brings great conversations and debates to the classroom.”
CYC students take on an active role in their learning through a wide range of hands-on, experiential learning activities such as group discussions and simulated interviews. Students also become familiar with various therapeutic exercises and activities that CYC/CYCPs use by practicing them with classmates.
“We play a lot of games,” Rebbeca says. “We do a lot of different activities just to familiarize ourselves with different ways to engage youth authentically.”
Along with hands-on learning in the classroom, CYC students also receive experiential learning in the workplace through field placements and volunteer opportunities. Students are assigned to three different field placements by the program’s faculty based on the student’s interests, strengths and career goals.
“I’m only in term two and I’ve already had opportunities to apply some of the skills that we’ve been learning in the program,” Rebbeca says.
Just as CYC/CYCPs work with an interdisciplinary team in the field, the program’s faculty work as one. Professors collaborate with each other, sharing information about students’ progress and individual strong suits.
“It’s great when you go to introduce yourself to a new professor and they already know who you are,” Austin says.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in Community Services dedicated to supporting children and youth to meet their goals and become healthier and happier people, visit the Child and Youth Care program page to learn more.
After completing the CYC program, students may also want to consider pursuing Graduate Studies programs such as:
- Autism and Behavioural Science
- Community and Social Services Management
- Concurrent Disorders
- Mental Health and Disability Management
