| Tuesday, October 7, 2008 4:00pm – 6pm Pre-registration 6:00pm – 9pm Opening Reception Wednesday, October 8, 2008 7:30am – 8:15am Registration 8:30am – 9:15am Opening Ceremonies 9:15am – 10:15am Opening Keynote Address Michael Ungar Too Safe for Their Own Good: How Risk and Responsibility Help Our Teens Thrive Are we keeping our young people too safe for their own good. If we adults think back to when we were young; did the risks we take and the responsibilities we had help prepare us for the challenges we would face later in our lives? Over his years of practice, Michael has seen a disturbing trend: a connection between all the security we offer children and troubling behaviors like drug abuse, early sexual activity, violence and truancy. In this presentation Michael will discuss ways to offer our children and teenagers the right amount of risk and responsibility. He will share what he has learned from families from around the world who have found ways to provide their children with the ‘risk-takers advantage’. 10:15 – 10:30 Break 10:30 – 12:00. Concurrent Workshops WA1 Youth Voices: Respectful Youth Engagement and its impact on Policies, Programs and Practice David French, Coordinator of the Youth Secretariat and Youth Networks Youth leaders Edmonton, Alberta During the Youth Voices: Respectful Youth Engagement and its impact on Policies, Programs and Practice presentation, participants will learn how to capture the voices of young people in a respectful manner. It will demonstrate how youth can impact change within all levels of an organization and lead to meaningful policies, programs and practices. The presentation will explore the following: 1. Why engage youth? 2. How to engage youth? 3. What is the impact of engagement on youth, service providers, communities and government? 4. The Glue: Exploring relationship building as a key success factor of meaningful engagement with youth. The presenter(s) will describe a successful youth engagement process and discuss how youth voices have had measurable impact on creating and enhancing public policies, programs and practices. In addition, hear from young people who have been empowered to use their voice, affect change and meaningfully contribute to the betterment of our province. WA2 Building Bridges – Cyber Counselling Glorie T Chimbganda Rathnew, County Wicklow, Ireland Web-counselling also known as cyber-counselling is a means of intervention that is becoming increasingly popular all over the world. In my paper I will present case studies of work done through the Internet. Interventions range from a brief two-week intervention to 8 months of work conducted through instant messaging. I will look at the benefits of web-counselling using practical and real examples. I will expound on the disadvantages of web-counselling, again sitting examples. I have personally conducted research and worked on various models of intervention via the Internet for the Ireland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children over the last year. I have worked with a total of 8 service users to date and no doubt will have worked with more by October 2008. With these 12 I have carried out 6-8 month interventions beginning with the assessment right through to the evaluation at the end. All of this has been conducted via web. My clients range from age 13 to 17 both male and female and come from different socio-economic backgrounds. During my presentation I would like to role-play via web with participants, studying languaging and therapeutic skills that can be used in practice. As I mentioned before I will provide scripts of actual sessions conducted at various stages of intervention with testimonials from the young people who have engaged with me in web-counselling. Young people have stated that web-counselling allows them to open up a little bit more about the more “horrifying” aspects of their lives and they feel better able to express themselves without worrying about formalities and impressions. With the ever increasing popularity of web blogs, instant messaging, and other entertaining and sociable activities online young people are spending more time by their computers. Practitioners should reach young people by whatever means are available and necessary. This medium also works very well with special needs clients. WA3 Building Effective Working Relationships with Teens Dr. Greg Homan and Jason Hedrick Celina Ohio, USA Working with teens is an important topic. As anyone can tell who has chaperoned a group of teenagers at a conference, advised youth in a club or service organization, or have watched high school sports tournaments, adults have varying degrees of success in working with teenagers. Some adults seem to have the “magic touch.” The teens with whom they work always have a good time, arrive early and leave late, get along with each other, pay attention, have fun, and more often than not, shower that adult with thanks and encourage their friends to get involved in the program. But then there are adults who get the opposite reaction. At teen conferences, they are the chaperons whose groups cut up during assemblies and run around in the halls after curfew. At community centers and club meetings, they are the ones who can’t get anyone to sign up…and the teens who do come end up dropping out and/or bad-mouthing them to their friends. What is the difference between adults who are successful in working with teens and those who are not? What are the “secrets for success” for working effectively with teens and keeping them involved in youth programs? This session will provide attendees an opportunity to apply concepts and techniques to improve their skills working with teens. Research background in youth participation/perceptions of program involvement will be applied to real-world settings. Foundations such as the “Continuum of Approaches for Working with Teens” will allow session participants to apply various leadership methods including Adult Control, Consultation with Teens, Partnership with Teens, Delegation of Power to Teens, and Teen Control. Group discussion and participation will enable those attending to share their personal experiences and “tools of the trade” that they have developed in building stronger youth-adult relationships. WA4 The Impact of Fun: Games and Activities that teach Social Development Andrew Middleton Point-Claire, Quebec A toddler learns by playing and an adolescent is really no different! During this high-energy, fun, hands-on workshop, participants will learn multiple games, initiative tasks, innovative activities and more that they can use in their own settings to teach a wide variety of social and character education skills to kids of any age. Workshop content is based on the activities and lessons used in Preparing for Adolescence and Social Success (the PASS Program); a character education and social skill development program running in Quebec and Ontario schools which has been delivered to over 8000 students in grades 3-8. WA5 House of a million chances: Serving Homeless Youth Ronni Abraham & Katie Davies Calgary, Alberta When it opened in 1987, Avenue 15 became the first emergency shelter in Calgary for homeless youth. While shelter services are essential for keeping youth safe, street youth require a range of services to forge paths out of homelessness. Youth homelessness is not just a housing issue; these youth also need extensive supports that address their diverse needs and ensure their positive development and growth. Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary have developed a continuum of services around our shelter program, attempting to assist youth at all stages of change. In this presentation, we offer a profile of youth homelessness and how it has evolved over our 20 years of offering shelter services. We will discuss our experiences with the factors that have predicted success in escaping homelessness and street life and those factors that have tended to be negative predictors. Our work with children who have been sexually exploited will be highlighted. We will also present the experience of youth homelessness from youths’ perspective using their own words and stories. We will discuss the model that underlies our continuum of service for homeless and street youth toward identification of best practices. Our model emphasizes the importance of engagement with caring adults, connection with people and community, and support for youth- directed choices. We will discuss how this model becomes operationalized in the daily interactions of youth workers and the youth in our program. We will conclude by identifying new opportunities and challenges in serving homeless and high-risk youth, including the influence of wide- scale community initiatives such as 10-year plans to end homelessness and anti-poverty initiatives. WA6 The Crisis Crunch: Finding Success in the Chaos of Everyday Theresa Driscoll, Jim Rathwell, Kari Colledge and Evelyn Downie Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Youth Care Workers at the Reigh Allen Center have perfected an approach of working with youth in crisis while they teach and learn from each other. It is the responsibility of Youth Care Workers to accurately interpret the context and meaning of crisis behaviors as it pertains to youth. The 90-minute presentation will focus on the continuous cycle for both youth care workers and youth in an ever changing culture of crisis. The workshop will link the concepts of: Getting started as a youth care worker, team support, the individual roles of youth care workers of varying experience, cultures created in crisis, supervision, and multidisciplinary debriefing. These will also be considered in relation to the youth served. HomeBridge Youth Society operates the Reigh Allen Centre. HomeBridge has been working with hard to serve, at risk youth since 1979 in the Halifax Regional Municipality of Nova Scotia. The Reigh Allen Centre is the only crisis stabilization facility in Nova Scotia Canada. WA7 Fostering Healthy Body Image and Self-Esteem in Children and Adolescents: Providing practical tools and motivation to create body-friendly environments Lisa Naylor Winnipeg, Manitoba My goal is to promote the development of a positive body image and high self-esteem in children and youth. We will explore the social and cultural factors that perpetuate unhealthy and unnatural body ideals. In this workshop I will:
practical ideas for creating a body-friendly environment where children and youth of all sizes feel accepted and valued and where food and activity are equated with energy, pleasure and wellness. WA8 Shape-Shifting: An examination of transitioning identity across professional CYC contexts and roles Catherine Hedlin Edmonton, Alberta Bridging change is a constant theme in Child and Youth Care (CYC). However we rarely look at the impact of professional role change on the practitioner. The integration of these evolving identities into your sense of self can challenge long held beliefs and worldviews about your self and others. Your identity as a CYC practitioner extends beyond an artificial line separating our personal self and our practice. It permeates all aspects of our personal and professional lives. Questions like: Who am I accountable to? What do I believe? What do I know? have dissimilar, and sometimes contradictory, answers at different places in your professional life. This interactive workshop will focus on the complex relationship between the self and professional identity, and will examine the evolution of identity across student, frontline, management and educator roles. Particular attention will be paid to shifts in personal and professional autonomy, power internal and external to organizations, layers of understanding, responsibilities and ethical concerns. Participants will be invited to reflect on and share their own journeys through multiple contexts in CYC practice. Whether you are just entering the profession or are in the midst of a role transformation, the presentation will help raise awareness of the way shifting roles and context can influence professional identity formation. It will assist practitioners in developing an understanding of the intersections between professional identity and the self and the associated effects upon the constructions of relationships with clients, students, colleagues, government and other stakeholders. The presenter has practiced as a CYC practitioner for 30 years and is interested in the degree to which shifting professional identities can inform a continued re- thinking of self and sense of reality in practice. 1:15 – 2:45 Concurrent Workshops WP1 Cross-over Kids: Care to Custody Judy Finlay Toronto, Ontario Youth who present with challenging behaviours are dealt with by society in two ways: through community services that provide therapeutic intervention or alternatively by means of sanctions through the provision of correctional services. Society has a duty to care for and a responsibility to rehabilitate “troubled or troubling” youth (Unger, 2001). Finding the balance between correctional and welfare approaches is therefore, critical. Furthermore, a disproportionate number of youth in the youth justice system have been in the care of child welfare authorities. Literature suggests there is a trajectory from the children’s service sector to the young offender system (Armstrong, 1998; Ulzen and Hamilton, 1998). The young offender system is often the last step for highly troubled “system kids”. Although there is extensive literature about child welfare and young offender services, there is a dearth of research that reports on the interaction between these two systems in the life of a youth. Recent studies (Finlay, 2005; Finlay, 2007) have looked at the nature and quality of care of young people in residential settings and their influence on youth crossing from one system to another. This presentation will introduce “cross over kids” from the perspective of young people and those advocating on their behalf. The areas to be discussed include:
WP2 Bartimaeus Services - Lessons learned from the Past Twenty Years Pat Gaughan Burlington, Ontario This workshop will provide a review of Bartimaeus’ twenty years of experience in providing support services in partnership with independent Child and Youth Work Practitioners. With a continual increase in the need for professional Child and Youth Work practitioners in the community this workshop will focus on the importance of developing “true” partnerships as a service model. The importance of matching skills, expertise, interest and availability to each and every situation will be reviewed as the key to a successful practice. Stories and experiences will be shared highlighting the ability of Child and Youth Work practitioners to meet the varied and complex needs of children, adolescents and their families. The workshop will also focus on the various private practice models available to Child and Youth Workers, highlighting the strengths of the profession as well as possible strategies to be implemented for success as a practitioner. WP3 Crossing Gender Borders: When Girls Beat Boys and Boys Beat Girls Sibylle Artz and Diana Nicholson Victoria, British Columbia When girls and boys use aggression and violence it is most common and expected that their targets will be of the same sex as the aggressor because most often, the instrumental purpose of the aggression is to exercise dominance or exact revenge within the same sex domain. There are however, those who cross the borders of the gender divide: girls who beat up boys and boys who beat up girls. In fact, among these border crossers, girls are more prevalent than boys. Henry Giroux (1996) describes border crossers as people who “learn to negotiate the power, violence and cruelty of the dominant culture through [their] own lived histories, restricted languages and narrow cultural experiences” (p. 9). We see those who enter into a gendered realm of the use of aggression that is not consistent with socio-cultural expectations for members of their sex as an important source of knowledge about aggression, particularly because those who engage in this kind of aggression challenge us to think outside mythologies of gender and to work counter-intuitively. This presentation examines this phenomenon and deals with implications for effective practice with aggressive and violent youth. WP4 “The Portage” – A Walk with Project C.A.N.O.E. Ashton D’Silva Toronto, Ontario The presentation will be in two parts; the first will be a dramatization of one youth’s experience with Project C.A.N.O.E. and is titled: “The Portage”. The second part covers a brief history of Project C.A.N.O.E., our program model, and unique approach working with youth, using our combination of wilderness and urban programs. This is an overview of the presentation: Project C.A.N.O.E. has been working with youth around the Greater Toronto Area for over 31 years. Our youth partners often live in high stress urban environments or are in the care of Children’s Aid Societies, and some receive services through Children’s Mental Health Organizations. Many face immense barriers on a daily basis such as stress, struggles with self-concept and identity, social limitations, living in poverty, homelessness/displacement and youth violence. In addition to the skills learned in our programs, our youth gain a sense of childhood by engaging in play and spending time in nature. We have evaluated our programs with success consistently over the past six years, and currently use the Developmental Assets in our evaluation tools. In our programs we use wilderness canoe trips in Temagami, winter weekends in Central Ontario, conservation work in downtown Toronto as the environmental backgrounds to work with our youth in building their resiliency factors. Our approach is youth-centred and programming is tailored to each individual. Youth benefit most from our 1:2 staff to youth ratio. We combat obesity, depression, and self- concept issues with youth by creating opportunities for youth to explore, with the support of highly skilled adults. Our focus is on leadership development and we collaboratively work with partnering organizations so that our youth gain the benefits of other organizations. We support our youths’ personal journey to individual success by making a long-term investment in each person. This is most evident in our Leaders In Training, Intern and Mentorship Programs. Our staff maintains current knowledge of the latest research related to our work and endorses the Council for Outdoor Educators: “Reconnecting Children through Outdoor Education”. Through experience with Project C.A.N.O.E. many youth who are new to the country gain a sense of Canadian identity, thereby connecting them to this land they call home. WP5 The Elastic Phenomenon: Being stretched from the floor to the Boardroom Jackie Woodford and Debbie Carver Dartmouth, Nova Scotia This workshop will identify the evolution of experiences after making the transition from a front line Youth Care Worker to a Youth Care Supervisor/Manager. Discussion will focus on the resulting confusion that develops while learning and understanding the subtitles of the competing positions of the new Supervisor and Manager roles. Topics to be covered will include:
WP6 What to Consider when Managing a Not for Profit Service: A Lightening Fast Overview of Everything Needed for Success and Growth Linda Wilson and Ernie Hilton Dartmouth, Nova Scotia This workshop will answer “WHY” the following components are necessary in organizational excellence and “HOW” to make them part of a progressive culture. Subject areas covered will include: Identifying best practice standards that can be applied with congruency across the organization The Role of Defined Organizational Frames, Missions Statements, Vision Statements, and Organizational Themes Quality and Standards of Care The Development, Support and Communication with the Board of Directors Necessities including Frameworks for Practice, A Code of Conduct, Well defined Policy and Procedures. Investment in employees (communication, training, evaluation, recognition) Investing in relationships with government, media, private funders, donors, neighbors, and the community at large Planning the management of operations (Logic Modeling, program, supervision evaluation,) Financial Management (planning, budgeting, activities, risk management and asset protection) The role of the management team Information technology Managing Risks Working with Unions Monitoring organizational performance WP7 Chaos: Living in a Young Man’s World!! The Young Men’s group of the Pape Adolescent Resource Centre. Members of the group TBA at a later date. Toronto, Ontario This workshop is based on a group of young men who have defied all odds and have battled so many obstacles that they have encountered personally and socially. This workshop will entail a group of young men who will share with you their personal experiences of living in care. These “hard to serve” young men have experiences everything in their life from bouncing group homes/foster homes to being homeless and getting into high-risk activities on the streets of Toronto: such as selling drugs or theft. These young men have experienced such things as: dropping out of school, experimenting with drugs, incarceration, becoming young fathers, and struggling to conform to a community while dealing with their developmental delays. One commonality that they share is being afraid of the unknown and where the next step may take them in life. Standard Issue feels that if youth have better life skills training through the stages of foster homes/group homes and an outlet to connect with other young men, they would be more successful when they move on their own independently. WP8 Youth Gambling in Nova Scotia: Awareness, Issues and Responses Prof. Karen Blotnicky, Dr. Mallika Das, Dr. Michael Fitzgerald, Dr. Frederick French and Dr. Deborah Norris Halifax, Nova Scotia The Nova Scotia Gambling Research Project (NSGRP) will report the findings of a broad, mixed -methods study on youth gambling in Nova Scotia, conducted between fall, 2006 and fall, 2007. Drawing from multi-disciplinary backgrounds in Business and Tourism, Child and Youth Study, Sociology and Criminology, Education, and Family Studies and Gerontology, the NSGRP undertook exploratory, pilot research through two primary approaches: First, a survey was conducted with junior high and senior high school students, as well as their teachers, counsellors, and school administrators. Quantitative data, utilizing combined measures, was sought regarding current understandings, attitudes, and practices related to youth gambling. Secondly, a series of focus group discussions were held with representatives from various mental health and addictions, health promotions, education, youth service, and family resource programmes. Qualitative data was gathered through several in-depth guided conversations addressing a range of programme and service topics. Results of the study provide valuable insights into current awareness of youth gambling issues, key influences affecting gambling attitudes and behaviours, concerns and needs related to youth gambling, and the role of prevention approaches to responsible gambling. Among these are notable differences in view between youth and youth service providers. Major themes will also be discussed, including the influence of family, school, peers, gender, age, and marketing/advertising upon youth gambling. Here, findings provide engaging profiles of youth that both accord with and vary from previous research. Finally, consideration will be given to vital areas for future research, with direct implications for policy making, professional training, and programme/resource development. 2:45 – 3:00 Break 3:00 – 4:30 Concurrent Workshops WP9 Accountability Measures in Residential Care: a return to child and youth care philosophy and practice Kiaras Gharabaghi Toronto, Ontario A frequently heard complaint of residential child and youth workers is that the residents ‘are getting away with everything’. The repertoire of consequences has often proven to be inadequate to ‘control’ the behaviour of adolescents in group homes, and the various behaviour management systems developed for this purpose similarly fail to provide such control. This, in turn, leads to questions about accountability for youth living in institutional care. In many cases, they are seen to be unaccountable and therefore unmanageable, ‘hard to serve’, ‘lost causes’, or anti-social. Residential child and youth workers often blame these circumstances on the youth themselves, and sometimes also on a lack of managerial or agency support and understanding. One outcome is that increasingly, child and youth workers advocate for the involvement of the youth criminal justice system, largely to restore safety in their work environment, but also in order to ‘teach the youth accountability’. In the end, program measures that were originally developed to ‘teach youth about accountability’ are labeled as ineffective, while ‘real’ accountability rests with law enforcement and the courts. These are challenging developments from a child and youth care perspective. Quite aside from the often poor outcomes for vulnerable youth in the youth criminal justice system, the concept of accountability through the courts violates the very core of child and youth care philosophy. While the involvement of police, prosecutors, and judges may give the appearance of consequences for behaviour, in reality these measures represent a disengagement from the youth, and place significant barriers to the relational context of child and youth care practice. This presentation profiles accountability measures in residential care facilities across Ontario. The measures profiled include those from policy and procedure manuals as well as those articulated by child and youth workers currently working in residential programs. The presentation then provides an analysis of the degree to which the most common accountability measures correspond to or violate three core principles of child and youth care: caring, engagement, and relationships. The broader goal of this presentation is to provide a framework for the (re)introduction of restorative justice principles in the approach to accountability for youth living in institutional settings. The presentation takes into account a number of theoretical and policy / practical contexts, including milieu therapy, the developmental perspective, relational child and youth care practice, the principles embodied in the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and principles of Restorative Justice. Participants in this presentation are called upon to (re)examine their assumptions about accountability for youth specifically through the lens of a child and youth care perspective that is based, fundamentally, on a loyalty to the professional ethics and core principles of our profession. Participants will also be invited to join a new network of child and youth care professionals tracking and analyzing accountability measures as they appear in the field, with a view to developing a data base of effective measures that can be endorsed from a child and youth care perspective. WP10 Out on a Limb: Promoting Risk Taking and Innovation in the Workplace Heather Modlin and Jackie Kelly St. John’s, Newfoundland St. Francis Foundation, now known as Waypoints, was the recipient of the 2004 Employer of Distinction Award presented by the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers Council. This award is intended to recognize excellence in Human Resource Management. “The award recognizes leadership, innovation, creativity and a fundamental belief in the value of a healthy, safe and motivated workforce. An Employer of Distinction is, simply put, one who views employees as vital and integral to the organization’s success.” Managers and frontline Child and Youth Care Workers will share their knowledge and experiences on becoming and maintaining a healthy organization. This presentation will focus on identifying best practices in human resource management. It will include: hiring practices; orientation and mentoring; staff training and development; strategic planning; and community development. Themes in this presentation will be: recognizing the talents and efforts of employees; working in an unionized environment in a positive way; creating a culture whereby employees can “go out on a limb”; not everything requires a large pot of money. Waypoints holds in high esteem the concept that employees who feel valued, appreciated and encouraged to grow will instill the same in the young people we work with. WP11 Transitioning Youth In Care Successfully: Connecting Practice to Research Sue Thomas and Ryan Burke Sudbury, Ontario Specific affective, cognitive, and behavioral skills play a large part in an adolescence intrapersonal and social success. Strong social competencies assist youth in emerging as healthy, strong and contributing individuals. Often for many youth in care of Children’s Aid Societies the develop such abilities is compromised due to the lack of family support, personal disruptions, and corporate parenting restrictions. Transitioning Youth in Care Successfully: Connecting Practice to Research will outline the growing pains associated with the development from childhood to adulthood, and looks at specific issues facing youth living in group homes and foster homes, who have no “nest” to return to when they experience failure or make mistakes. In addition, the workshop will tie in effective approaches for professionals including how to foster maturation, useful tools for teaching both tangible and intangible life skills, touch on theories of motivational interviewing and finally address some of the perceived difficulties when working with adolescence. WP12 Impacting Youth Attitudes Through Adventure Camps Christopher Vainio, Allison Daffe and Christopher Pinkerton Whitehorse, Yukon Description of what constitutes an adventure camp – 5 minutes Descriptions of adventure camp programs across Canada; specifically focusing on camps for youth and targeted camps for youth with disabilities, behavioral problems, histories of legal troubles, etc. and possibly international camps dependant on data available. – 15 minutes, slides Participant selection/target demographic; Target demographic will often depend on the natures of organizations. We will discuss assessing the needs of communities to discover target demographic, and designing the most relevant program – 15 minutes Staff and safety Needs; Criteria for staff selection including levels of training and roles to be filled; safety needs including staff safety, participant safety, staff to participant ratios, equipment needs, trip safety plans, participant orientations – 15 minutes, participant discussion. With flip chart, example first aid kit, and possible slides Activity selection; Activities during the excursion, goals and motivations behind programming, activities as tools for building relationships with clients, exercises to provide youth with useful life skills – 30 minutes, discussion with participants. Who are your clients, what goals are you trying to meet, and what activities would be appropriate? With flip chart Determining the success of outdoor adventure camps; immediate follow-up including incident reports, debriefing staff, closing ceremonies or awards for participants (something to make the end of the trip memorable for participants); ongoing follow-up including changes in behavior over a period of time. – 10 minutes, example keepsake video for participants from LDAY camp WP13 Six Secrets to Treating Sociopathic Traits in Youth: How to Understand and Care for The Untreatable, Unworkable and Unlikable Sue Fortune and Wendy Fitzgerald Calgary, Alberta Nothing evokes fear into Caregivers and Therapists more than being informed a youth with sociopathic traits is being assigned to their caseload. Current treatment strategies have taught Mental Health Professionals to label these youth as untreatable. In this highly informative and interactive presentation: Learn to better understand youth with Sociopathic Traits. Go beyond the diagnosis of Anti-Social Personality Disorder - Sociological Labeling or Psychological Disorder? Explore the barriers of conventional thinking, which focuses mainly on behavior, and learn current treatment strategies. Learn the six secrets of treatment for this difficult population that will enhance the efforts of both caregivers and therapists WP14 Young Carers in Canada: an Invisible Population Dr. Grant Charles Vancouver, British Columbia There is an invisible population of children and adolescents in Canada who have responsibilities often beyond their years. The demands placed upon these young people are potentially negatively and/or positively impacting upon their growth and development. While little noticed in Canada, over the past decade ‘young carers’ have become the focus of considerable academic, media and public interest in the United Kingdom. Given that little research has been conducted in this country regarding young carers our research is seeking to examine the issue of young carers in British Columbia in terms of their demographic characteristics, their experiences as young carers and their needs. This study will lay the foundation for theory, policy and practice development in regards to children and adolescents who, for a number of reasons, have to provide care for their parents or other family members beyond what would normally be expected. This study is hoping to begin to fill the gaps in knowledge regarding the dynamics, needs and circumstances of these young people. This presentation will provide an overview of the preliminary findings of the research project with an emphasis upon the experiences of the young people. Specifically I will discuss our findings on how these young people differ or are similar to their peers in a number of critical areas. WP15 Child and Youth Work and Business Theories and Practices: What Can We Learn From Each Other? Bill Carty Burlington, Ontario This workshop will compare and contrast child and youth work education and practice with what theories and strategies are used in business practice. Too often child and youth work practitioners' experience of business is limited to asking for donations for materials for their programs or financial support to stay operating. What is the business of child and youth care work? The focus of the workshop is to examine what we can learn from business theories and practices to become more successful and effective in our work as well as more sustainable in terms of operating our programs and services. This workshop will be of interest to people who wonder why there is seemingly such a large gap between those of us in the helping profession and those who work in business environments. WP16 Communications and Log Writing Sarah Martin and Patsy Thompson Dartmouth, Nova Scotia HomeBridge Youth Society is a non-profit organization, providing emergency shelter, long-term placement and education to homeless youth in Nova Scotia. Our organization has developed a presentation and information session on defective communications and log writing. This presentation includes information on writing professional and creditable logs/notes, suggestions for intake practice and shift changes. Log writing: This part of the presentation includes the purpose of logs. The presentation emphasis's how logs/notes facilitate communication between shifts and may serve to clarify events for employees who did not directly witness a series of events/behaviors. Logs serve as a tool to allow us to recognize resident's patterns and progress. The presentation will clarify many myths and questions regarding confidentiality. The presentation also stresses the importance of reliable logs for accountability. Shift change: Again the purpose of shift change is discussed, as well as confidentiality, and effective information sharing. The presentation helps Youth Care Worker's to structure shift change. It helps to inform and remind YCW's that while it is important to share information that is pertinent for the next shift it is also important not to share biases or information that is not necessary. This helps to keep shift change an effective tool and not a "griping session". It is the intent of HomeBridge Youth Society, to help Youth Care Workers and other organizations to be informed of good log writing practices. It has served to help our YCW"s and improve the professionalism of our intercommunications. Thursday October 9, 2008 9:00 – 4:30 Concurrent Workshops ThFD1 Full Day Session Design and implementation of an agency crisis intervention training program John Dahl Calgary, Alberta This presentation will provide an interactive overview of the development of the Comprehensive Crisis Intervention program at Hull Child and Family Services. The workshop will review the assessment and design phase and the various teaching components including emphasis on the role of the therapeutic relationship in crisis management. It will provide samples of the curriculum (manual, activities, PPT slides, videos, practice activities) demonstrating the use of the material. Group discussion and participant interaction will be encouraged throughout. ThFD2 Full Day Session Defining Supervision in a Professionally Packaged Way Frank Delano and Jill Shah Hawthorne, New York, USA Quality supervision is an essential component for best practice child and youth care and is a crucial vehicle in building the bridge for agency philosophy of care and delivery of high quality and culturally competent services to children and families. This highly interactive workshop will use the presenters’ definition of supervision and their concept of building a professional package as a basis to help participants learn a number of concepts and build a number of skills to enhance their ability to provide and receive quality supervision. The presenters define supervision as: Supervision is a professional relationship that provides support, education, monitoring of quality, and creates a safe forum to reflect on professional practice. It should encourage constructive confrontation and critical thinking that informs and improves the practice of all parties. Respecting the inherent hierarchy in the relationship, it should accept the ethical responsibility to use power in a thoughtful manner. The dynamics in the supervisory relationship can create a parallel process in all other relationships including that of the client/worker. Ultimately, supervision should be the vehicle to create dynamic growth, establish high professional standards and enhance quality and culturally competent services.
9:00 – 12:00 Concurrent Workshops ThA1 Milieu-Based (or Residential) Treatment of the Aftermath of Sexual Abuse. Mary Price-Cameron, Duane Durham and Marilyn Thornton Cobourg, Ontario This presentation will explore the model of intervention developed within the TFC Program. Utilizing material from the Program’s book entitled “Treating the Aftermath of Sexual Abuse a handbook of working with Children in Care” this workshop will focus on treatment within the therapeutic milieu. This training will explore the impacts of sexual abuse and the stages of healing. As well training will focus on the tasks and skills required to assist the sexually abused child in the therapeutic milieu. Participants will be able to walk away with practical strategies to help heal the child from the aftermath of sexual abuse. Participants will be able to identify appropriate therapeutic goals and the methodologies to aid in their treatment planning. This training will also explore the many challenges in the milieu that face the caregiver. ThA2 Working with Natural Families: Sarah Bisson and Sylvia Higgs Cobourg, Ontario This course serves a basic introduction to families and how to work with families within Child Welfare. The goals of this training are to develop a basic understanding about family functioning and develop a respect for their struggles. The course focuses on strengths and coping capacities as well as on levels of need rather than pathology. Learning about family functioning will help us to understand or gain a glimpse into the world the foster child has come from. The course will also focus on how caregivers can intervene with natural families. We examine our own biases and look at the importance of caregivers working with families. We will discuss family reunification and connection, inclusive foster care, and clinically managed access as well as parent mentoring. Lecture, video and case presentations by foster parents will be used and small group discussion. ThA3 Taking Care of the Caregiver Karen Hay and Jackie Robertson Cobourg, Ontario Vicarious trauma....compassion fatigue/PTSD......burnout....transference/counter transference....stress management or lack of stress management...effects on personal life.... These are just a few words that staff and caregivers are likely to come across in their work life. Caregivers have been known to sometimes forget about the caregiver. Taking care of the caregiver is something that is often minimized or neglected in our field of work. Yet, the work we do demands that we are healthy on all levels in order to meet the challenges and complexities of the children we service. The ability to understand who we are, what we bring as practitioners/caregivers to our daily work and how this impacts our effectiveness is of paramount importance in self care. This workshop will:
ThA4 Stomping Out Stigma - Building a Community of Care and Acceptance Bob Heeney Whitby, Ontario For the past 5 years, the Durham Talking About Mental Illness Coalition, under the leadership of Whitby Mental Health Centre, has been delivering a program for high school students that is increasing their understanding of mental illness while at the same time reducing the associated stigma. One of these models is called the “Stomping Out Stigma Summit”. This workshop will explore the necessary steps needed to deliver an information session to all high school students with the goal of better educating them about the effects that stigma plays on all people with disabilities. Registrants will explore the steps required to build a working group, train speakers and better connect with the school communities. The workshop will be used as a roadmap for other professionals to use in developing their own programs. The Durham project is evidence based, and describes that students who participate are showing a 35% increase in knowledge about mental illness and a 16% increase in positive attitudes towards those living with a mental illness. This model can be easily fitted for people with all disabilities. Front line staff, managers and family members can benefit from the material being offered. ThA5 Bridging Child and Youth Work with Brain Research: Enhancing Social and Academic Learning Opportunities for Developmentally-at-Risk Children Brenda Robinson and Mark Fraser Sudbury, Ontario Recently, research and clinical efforts towards merging the growing body of evidence in the field of stress neurobiology with the psychosocial effects of child maltreatment have been quite productive in narrowing the translational gap between biology and clinical practice. Despite these gains, many questions exist regarding how Child and Youth Workers (CYWs), clinicians and program coordinators should integrate brain and developmental psychological research into existing and future program designs. Still, other questions arise concerning the usefulness of neuroscience in enhancing a program’s or practice’s effectiveness and efficiency. The Children’s Aid Society District of Sudbury and Manitoulin’s ECHO program is an example of a therapeutic program that blends current stress neurobiology and developmental psychopathology research with current evidence-based psychosocial approaches with maltreated children. This two-part, theory-to-practice workshop offers CYWs, clinicians, parents, and educators a general, non-technical introduction to the developmental and psychological effects and outcomes of childhood maltreatment; the second part of the workshop then ties this theory base to practical approaches, where the participants will be introduced to cutting edge behavior management techniques, social skills and emotional management educational approaches, and methods on how to incorporate brain and developmental psychology research into their existing practice. Using the ECHO program as an example of a practice that weaves current brain and developmental research into its existing program, the participants will gain valuable practical insights from various academic fields such as Child and Youth Work, stress neurobiology, behavioral, clinical and developmental psychology. The participant will leave the workshop with theoretical and practical information on best practice approaches with maltreated children and children-in-care, and with a resource/reference package complete with Internet resources, suggested readings, various articles on developmental and behavioral consequences of child maltreatment, the ECHO program Newsletter, introduction to the brain handout, and the power point presentation. ThA6 Evidence-based Practice in Group Care: How does Child and Youth Care Practice “measure-up” Carol Stuart, Tina Kroll, Larry Sanders Toronto, Ontario Residential group-care settings are the most intensive and expensive treatment settings, yet evidence-based knowledge about effective milieu-based interventions is lacking. The advent of evidence-based practice and the attempt to replicate evidence-based treatment principles in children’s mental health settings has prompted new research in this field. The mechanisms that influence treatment within the therapeutic milieu are largely unknown and untested. CYC practitioners implement many intervention strategies consistent with those used in evidence-based treatments, however they implement these within the daily life space of children in group care. Further to this, the daily care techniques used in residential care are often planned, purposeful and consistent with the treatment goals. The lack of evidence of the efficacy of CYC interventions and group care has, at times, led to funding restrictions and uncertainty about quality and effectiveness. There are no scientific grounds for assuming that the absence of evidence is the same as evidence of ineffectiveness. By identifying the contributions that CYC practitioners make to assessment, planning and outcome evaluation for clients and the specific interventions and strategies that these practitioners implement within the milieu we are then in a position to better assess the efficacy of child and youth work in group care, thereby providing evidence for or against the efficacy of group care settings. This presentation describes the results of a survey of all staffed group care programs (n=300+) in the Province of Ontario. The research project explored the contributions of CYC practitioners and documented the differences in evidence-based practices among the child welfare, children’s mental health and private sector providers group care and treatment. Participants will learn about how the work of CYC practitioners in group care settings is linked to evidence-based practices and intervention strategies. Best practices in relation of case management and the link between education, experience, and use of best practices will be identified. ThA7 Bridge Building From Within a Locked Youth Addictions Stabilization Facility Kristin Lukie and Merlin Rancier Winnipeg, Manitoba There is a growing concern within many of our communities across Canada of our young people suffering from drug addiction issues. The Youth Addictions Stabilization Unit has been established within Manitoba to address these growing concerns and issues. We will present Bridge Building Within a Locked Youth Addictions Stabilization Facility as an intervention strategy on behalf of youths and their families who are dealing with drug addiction issues. . We would like to walk through a brief history and the recognized need for the development of such a facility, take a look at the legal legislation “Youth Drug Stabilization (Support of Parents) Act” that came into affect Nov. 1, 2006 in Manitoba, as well as, consider the differences between similar programs established in Alberta and Saskatchewan. We will continue this presentation by looking at the program description, youth trends and issues, the different levels of involvement that the youth find themselves in and the various stages of change. We will look at the youth’s life areas that are affected by excessive drug use, ie. family issues, sexual exploitation, gang involvement and then lead a discussion as to the resources available to the young person for “Building Bridges” between themselves, their families, caregivers and the necessary community collaterals available to them. We would like to present active group work through the use of power point presentations, handouts and case studies that would incorporate the stages of change and life areas affected by excessive drug use. Discussion will then be directed around the potential intervention strategies available to the youth and their families by those who are working with these young people as Bridge Builders. 1:15 – 4:30 Concurrent Workshops ThP8 Relational-Centered Assessment and Intervention Planning: A CYC Approach to Working with Children, Youth and Families Jenny McGrath and Donna Jamieson Edmonton, Alberta For years Child and Youth Care Workers have used assessment and treatment planning strategies borrowed from other disciplines, often feeling that these approaches did not really “fit” for them. We have come to realize that linear, straight forward approaches, while making paperwork easier, often do not adequately reflect the relational strategies employed in the CYC field. In this workshop, we will explore a relational-centered approach to CYC assessment and treatment planning. Assessment, planning and intervention emerges naturally as the conversational relationship between the CYCW and the child, youth or family evolves. At the core of this approach is the belief that all growth and change occurs within relationships. Without relationships, there can be no “self.” We believe that, as in the Zulu maxim umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu---that is, that a “person is a person through other persons (Shute, 1993, p.46). In this experiential workshop we will examine what we believe are some of the underlying assumptions of this approach and the core relational capacities required of practitioners. We will also explore (and practice) assessment and intervention planning strategies that are consistent with relational-centered practice. Many of these will feel familiar to those in the field while others may create some new awareness. ThP9 “The Doables”: Stories about Applying Restorative Practices to Children Under 12; The Evidence and the Experience Rick Kelly, Nicole Hanlon, Mandi Mayhew, Barb McCluskey, Debbie Sliwinski Toronto, Ontario The Centre for Restorative Practices ( a virtual organization) in the Child and Youth Worker Program at George Brown College, Toronto embarked on an initial 5 year plan in 2002 to research Restorative Practices, train students and professionals and then develop enhanced practices. What has emerged at the 5 year mark is an interesting variety of work with children under the age of 12 who are found in variety of settings; elementary schools, a summer camp and a children’s mental health setting. This session focuses on what are “the doables”; the practical applications and restorative tools which very naturally arise when utilizing a Restorative framework. In addition, the presentation highlights the impacts and ways in which settings and systems that serve and surround children are transformed positively when utilizing Restorative Practices (RP). The tools developed have been generated from the central concerns of RP when applied to critical incidents with young persons which includes; thinking processes, feelings, impacts of harm and restorative and reparative actions. The tools profiled and offered include such elements as:
In addition this discussion talks about how RP has, and can, be used as a platform for transforming classrooms, peacemaker programs, school playgrounds, summer camps and the culture of a children’s mental health centre. Lastly RP is presented as a framework for staff training and as a basis for evidence based practice. ThP10 Difficult Conversations: Using Popular Theatre to Explore Discrimination and Racism in the Lives of Children and Youth Sandrina De Finney Victoria, British Columbia “You know the world is changing so fast and it’s about time they get it. We need new ways to talk about this stuff, racism, being excluded or picked on or whatever. It really affects our lives in a real way. The teachers, counselors, politicians, they need to understand how to deal with that better, because we know it’s going on every day”. Manjeet, 16. This hands-on workshop draws on popular theatre techniques to enter into “difficult conversations” about racism, discrimination and diversity. The workshop is intended to expand current practical and theoretical understandings of racism in the increasingly diverse contexts of CYC practice and research. The facilitator draws on her experience using popular theatre as a research methodology and as a tool for practice. Participants will be introduced to popular theatre techniques and exercises for engaging with young people in a critical exploration of their experiences with racism, discrimination and diversity. Activities will draw on both case studies and personal experiences. Through a process of collaborative analysis, participants will deconstruct issues related to the inter-personal, historical, systemic and structural dimensions of racism and other forms of discrimination. Salient themes may include multiculturalism, colonialism, horizontal racism, systemic racism, bullying and processes of racialization and experiences of disengagement, marginalization and silencing. The emphasis will be on developing strategies for opening dialogue, as well as for effective intervention, advocacy and change. ThP11 So, What About Gangs? Kristine Harvey-Vilela and Virginia Robinson Mississauga, Ontario Many students encounter bullying, intimidation, weapons, drugs and threats of violence both in and on their way to and from school. What may be the source of many of these unprovoked aggressive acts? More importantly, what should we, as professionals, do about them? What can we do about them? What resources can we contact? This workshop will supplement and challenge some of the information you currently know about gang culture, recent trends in gang activity, and what you may expect in the future. An interactive component will engage participants in an open discussion on this topic. On screen presentations, interactive information, handouts, intervention strategies, lesson plans, question / answer period, reproducible worksheets and resources will be used to share information about gang culture, gang activity, gang behaviour, warning signs and the attraction for teens to be involved in gang life. Upon completion, participants will be able to recognize, examine, and evaluate possible interventions in their own community’s gang activity. This workshop also provides the opportunity to learn strategies for gang suppression, intervention and prevention. ThP12 Multidisciplinary CYC Education : Building Professional Bridges Kelly Shaw, Margo Eaton, Jeffery Reid, Mike Kaminski, Tracy Comeau and Ed Wohlmuth Truro, Nova Scotia Over the past few decades Child and Youth Care Workers, educated in their own area and specialized in their own way of working with children, have been positioning themselves to become equal members of multidisciplinary teams. . Reflective of this trend, and to meet growing demand for workers in the last twelve years, the Child and Youth Care program at Nova Scotia Community College has expanded from its origin in the work of a single inspired practitioner. It is now facilitated by a multidisciplinary team which is lead by a Child and Youth Care practitioner whose educational and experiential background was front line Child and Youth Care residential and community based practice. Each member of the team supports the training of Child and Youth Care workers within a Child and Youth Care context filtered through his/her own professional lens. Faculty team members have positioned themselves as learners, studying the Child and Youth Care approach in order to connect the orientation of their own disciplines and training to the CYC context. The result has been the graduation of versatile, well-trained Child and Youth Care workers who have a strong sense of their role supporting youth and families in a variety of multidisciplinary environments. The process of becoming a multidisciplinary team has required professionals, well positioned and connected within their own areas of specialization (Psychology, Social Work, Addictions Counselling, and English), to reach beyond their comfort areas and collaboratively build bridges between their own orientations in order to embrace the practices, processes, and ideology of contemporary CYC practice. Along the way this group became aware of the challenges posed by the framework of an academic institution. Join the faculty team from the Child and Youth Care Worker Program at Nova Scotia Community College in an interactive workshop which aims to celebrate Child and Youth Care education and provide insight into the challenges of presenting relevant training in the academic arena. ThP13 CYC is Complex Jack Phelan Edmonton, Alberta The needs and problems of many children in care are complex and difficult to serve appropriately. Or more correctly, their needs are deceptively simple, but delivering the right response is deceptively complex. (Gilligan, 2001) This quote will be the focus of the workshop. We will explore the paradox of CYC practice, which is that it is done simple, everyday events and yet requires complex thinking to be successful. Simplicity embedded in complexity will be discussed and explored by the participants through case examples and reflecting on practice issues. CYC practice consists of engaging with very complex people and problems using simple, everyday tools and events in a carefully orchestrated and developmentally sophisticated manner. Some issues that twill be discussed include:
ThP14 Building Bridges to the Community Jeff Reid and Nancy Hanlon New Glasgow, Nova Scotia Developing community partnership outside of the youth care sector? Why bother? At some time, the youth we engage with in residential programs have to be able to connect with community resources, whether with our supports or independently. By developing creative relationships with community partners, the ways can be paved for youth and staff to form new connections, and build community partnerships beyond the usual parameters encountered within our communities, easing the transition from residential to community living. Through the collaboration of interested parties, using the combined skills and knowledge, there is an opportunity to break down the barriers confronting the youth and families we engage with, while challenging the assumptions about youth care work. The workshop presenters will offer an overview of existing cooperative relationships developed within a rural Nova Scotia community. Participants will be engaged in discussions about the short-term and long-term benefits of developing creative partnering for youth care professionals and the youth / families they serve. Participants will be challenged to examine options available within their home communities. Friday October 10, 2008 8:30 – 10:00 Concurrent Workshops FA1 Successfully Crossing that Bridge from Student to Effective Employee Kristen MacDonald and Erin Wilson New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Moving from the academic world of being a student to the realities of the workplace can sometimes present challenges that education does not prepare the student for. Pre-graduation experiential placement can offer learning opportunities for the student. Once it is time to make the transition from student to employee, relationships will change, and the student will have to be prepared for the different responses which are coming. The school and the placement can work with the student, but maximizing and taking control of the learning is the student’s responsibility. Two recent graduates will offer a chance for discussion about their experiences, and engage participants in sharing their own experiences and stories. FA2 The care in worker-client relationships (can be) two-way Carla Alexander Calgary, Alberta and Dr. Grant Charles Vancouver, British Columbia Aspects of the professionalization of workers' relationships with young people and their parents can create barriers to authentic, mutual, and helpful relationships. In order to help to create change workers must engage their clients in a relationship. Yet, the concept of a professional relationship, where the direction of service and care is one-way (from the worker to the client) permeates our work. This counters theories of human development that suggest that people change and develop through ongoing exchanges and experiences in their relationships, and that people affect each other in this process. The presenters will draw on their work in this area to invite a re-examination of what constitutes ethical and useful child and youth care relationships. The presenters will describe the results of their research, introduce the relevant theory in a user-friendly way, and actively engage workshop participants in discussion of the topic. Participants will have the opportunity to share their experiences and expertise regarding effective relationships with clients. FA3 Training Experiential Child and Youth Care Professionals The Experiential Child and Youth Care Certificate Program Delivered by Red River College in partnership with Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad Inc. (Our Relatives Home) Dawne MacKay-Chiddenton and Kelsey Shay Winnipeg, Manitoba This presentation will be based upon our experience in a partnership with a local Winnipeg community based agency in the delivery of the Red River College Child and Youth Care Certificate program. The participants in the program were all “experiential” persons. In this context, “experiential” refers to individuals with experience in the sex trade either as adults or as sexually exploited young people. The program was featured on CBC radio on the national news, and to our knowledge, it is the first of its kind anywhere. In the presentation, we will explore issues that arose during the delivery of the program including; the necessity of modifying the traditional or mainstream curriculum in order to reflect the life experience of the participants without compromising educational standards and standards of practice in the field. In addition, we will explore the importance of consistent emotional support throughout the program which was provided by access to traditional Aboriginal healing, addictions counseling and daily life skill mentoring. A highlight of the presentation will be upon how well this program accomplished the goal of providing Child and Youth Care training and education for individuals who have a great deal to offer because of their own personal life journey, which in this case, has included experience in the sex trade, past trauma and addictions. FA4 Trauma Informed Care; The Journey to Engagement Ross E. Gibson and Lorelei P. Faulkner Vancouver, British Columbia British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital Mental Health Programs provide tertiary service to the children and youth of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. Mental Health services include Child Inpatient; Adolescent Inpatient; Eating Disorders, Emergency Inpatient and Outpatient Clinics. The presenters are care providers and educators within this setting. The presentation will describe the evidence underpinning Trauma Informed Care, as well as treatment outcomes and the implementation process within BC’s Children’s Hospital Mental Health Programs. Trauma Informed Care is a component of the Engagement Model Philosophy of Care. This method of service delivery focuses on the neurobiology of trauma, related effects on the development of children and youth and thus resultant implications for treatment. By attending to ‘what has happened?’ as opposed to ‘what is wrong?’ this model frames care-givers and clients as partners in the healing process. The use of collaboration and cooperation replaces power and coercion. This transformation takes place between caregivers and clients and between caregivers and administrators. Outcomes include increased therapeutic alliance and engagement in therapy, caregiver morale and job satisfaction, and a decrease in aggressive incidents. The presentation will also describe the implementation and education process, including successes and challenges, that is under way with the Mental Health Programs at this facility. FA6 Suicide Prevention On-Campus: Engaging, relating to, and collaborating with students Jonathan Morris Dr. Jennifer White Victoria, British Columbia Many of the core characteristics of Child and Youth Care guide recent suicide prevention efforts at the University of Victoria and Camosun College (British Columbia). The project’s commitment to a relational, participatory, strengths-based, inclusive, and research-informed approach resulted in the bridging of two post-secondary communities, collaborating to address the serious issue of mental health problems and suicidal behaviour. Adopting a Child and Youth Care approach to suicide prevention efforts has also called our attention to the need for positioning students as co-architects of campus initiatives and programming. By providing an overview of our community-developmental model, as well as the challenges and possibilities inherent to this way of “doing” suicide prevention, we hope to stimulate further interest in this innovative and emergent way of suicide prevention practice. We also invite individuals attending this workshop to take part in our participatory model used to engage with young people’s knowledge, ideas, and opinions about mental health and suicide. Individuals will be asked to participate in a conversation about well-being, suicidal behaviour and young people, and will be invited to share their thoughts about partnering with youth in preventing suicide. FA7 Intergenerational Bridges within the CYC Profession Sandy MacDonald and Danny Neal Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Presenters Sandy MacDonald and Danny Neal are a mother and son team of CYC's whose experience in the field spans two generations. Their styles are very different, they each bring a unique perspective to the work, and both acknowledge that there is much they can learn from one another. Their professional relationship mirrors the intergenerational make-up of many agencies and services where a mix of "old pros" and fresh, energetic young people work together in the service of youth and families. This interactive presentation looks at the dynamic of working in an intergenerational environment, and how we can best promote, develop and utilize the skills and talents of each generation of CYC's. As well, it addresses similarities and differences between traditional child and youth work and current practices, taking into account the new realities of a web based youth subculture and the impact of emerging technologies. Participants will be guided through a reflective exercise that builds a bridge between the knowledge, attitudes and processes that are central to our profession and emerging research on brain and behaviour as it applies to our daily work with children and families. FA8 Negotiation, Authority, and the Use of Power in Child and Youth Care: Lessons form Child Protection Doug Magnuson, Nathan Patten and Marie Hoskins Victoria, British Columbia Child protection work is considered by some to be an unusual human service work in part because of the impressive and, to some, terrifying authority delegated to workers. After six months studying child protection teams using ethnographic methods, we suggest that the use of authority in child protection work is not qualitatively different from other kinds of human service work with children, youth, and families in distress, where there is often some inequity. Then we will discuss strategies for reducing the risks and for promoting ethical practice that come from the ethnographic study and from the research literature on negotiation and bargaining under conditions of unequal power. 10:00 – 10:15 Break 10:30 - 12:00 Closing Keynote Speaker Thom Garfat Stories from the Family In this work we encounter and experience the stories of self and other. Coming, as we do, from an oral tradition, these stories have historically been our way of learning from, and teaching, others. Thom Garfat has been working in this field for over 30 years and during this presentation he will share some of the stories that he has encountered or experienced on this particular journey. It is a time to simply sit back and listen – as is so often the case with ‘stories from the family’. 12:00 - 1:00pm Closing Ceremonies |
Building “Bridges” in Child and Youth Care - Program |
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* The Opening Reception is sponsored by
the Council of Canadian Child and Youth
Care Associations.
the Council of Canadian Child and Youth
Care Associations.
The conference would like to thank its
supporters and donors for their in kind and
financial support.
supporters and donors for their in kind and
financial support.
Early Bird Member Rate........................................................ 265.00
Members of any Provincial Child and Youth Care Association in Canada
Early Bird Non-Member Rate............................................... 318.00
Any non-member can pay the reduced rate until August 31, 2008
Presenter Rate......................................................................... 132.50
15th National Child and Youth Care Conference Presenter,
Maximum two presenters per presentation
Student Rate............................................................................ 132.50
Any student from a post secondary institution interested in Child and Youth
Care (Note: students who have paid the earlier posted rate of 200.00 will be reimbursed at registration.)
Member Rate.......................................................................... 318.00
After the early bird deadline September 1 to October 8, 2008
Non Member Rate.................................................................. 371.00
After the early bird deadline September 1 to October 8, 2008
Members of any Provincial Child and Youth Care Association in Canada
Early Bird Non-Member Rate............................................... 318.00
Any non-member can pay the reduced rate until August 31, 2008
Presenter Rate......................................................................... 132.50
15th National Child and Youth Care Conference Presenter,
Maximum two presenters per presentation
Student Rate............................................................................ 132.50
Any student from a post secondary institution interested in Child and Youth
Care (Note: students who have paid the earlier posted rate of 200.00 will be reimbursed at registration.)
Member Rate.......................................................................... 318.00
After the early bird deadline September 1 to October 8, 2008
Non Member Rate.................................................................. 371.00
After the early bird deadline September 1 to October 8, 2008
