"Written in an inviting and conversational style, this text introduces foundational research methods for the study and practice of child and youth care, aiming to awaken a lifelong interest in how research can inform, improve, and evoke critical reflection on what child and youth care is, and can be, about. The text builds basic practical research skills, such as how to conduct interviews and focus groups, construct research questions and surveys, recruit research subjects, collect and analyze data, and select qualitative and quantitative research designs to best serve each project. Drawing all its examples from the field of child and youth care and written from an explicitly anti-racist perspective, the text covers the intersections of research and advocacy work and includes a chapter dedicated to Afrocentric and Indigenous research approaches."--
In an inviting and conversational style, author Kiaras Gharabaghi offers a concise guide introducing foundational research methods for the study and practice of child and youth care, aiming to awaken a lifelong interest in how research can inform, improve, and evoke critical reflection on what child and youth care is, and can be, about. Presenting research as a relational tool, the text builds basic practical research skills, such as how to conduct interviews and focus groups, how to construct research questions and surveys, and how to select research designs to best serve each project. This essential volume highlights research as an important element of child and youth care practice, explores different qualitative and quantitative research designs, and examines how they are implemented, including various aspects of recruiting research subjects, the collection and analysis of data, and the limitations of research. Written from an explicitly anti-racist perspective, the text includes a chapter dedicated to Afrocentric and Indigenous research approaches and draws all its examples from the field of child and youth care. The rich in-text pedagogical features include a glossary of key terms and two appendices that detail an ethics protocol and describe a small research project from start to finish. Students of child and youth care, social work, and youth work/development programs are bound to appreciate this engaging and highly readable text. FEATURES: - Covers the politics of research, the intersections of research and advocacy work, and Afrocentric and Indigenous research lenses - Features text boxes showcasing research insights, interviews with child and youth care researchers, and ethical considerations - Accessible for those new to research in child and youth care, while offering insight into how to deeply understand research at more advanced levels of engagement
Approaches to Research in Child and Youth Care in Canada is a fundamental text for child and youth care programs with the aim of making research methods more approachable to students. Priscilla Bengo breaks down foundational research methods in an accessible way and explores the roles of objectivity and logic in sound decision making in child and youth care practices. Opening with the core functions of scientific inquiry in the field, Bengo introduces students to the ethical, political, and cultural contexts of child and youth care research and provides the tools to become a culturally competent researcher. Students will gain a thorough understanding of problem formulation, measurement, and data collection methods for large data sources, and how to work with both qualitative and quantitative data. Grounded with practical examples and exercises throughout, Approaches to Research in Child and Youth Care in Canada is a must-read for research methods courses in child and youth care programs that will build integral research skills for students in child and youth care, social work, and the programs focused on the helping professions.
The first of its kind, this practicum-specific resource serves as an accompanying guidebook for fieldwork, placement, or classroom instruction in child and youth care practice. Child and Youth Care in the Field: A Practicum Guidebook uses critical reflection to facilitate student learning and growth throughout the practicum experience. Students can apply and build upon the theory and skills acquired during their fieldwork by utilizing the engaging workbook features and writing spaces included in the text. This resource helps prepare students for practicum and expand their self-awareness by discussing the challenges and difficulties they will encounter in the field, and by providing insight on how to navigate the decision-making process. With the increasing need for a hands-on resource in child and youth care studies, this book is well suited for first year, field placement, and professional skills courses in child and youth care programs at the college and university level.
Provides an overview of the spectrum of concerns within the field of child care in Canada. The book pays particular attention to developments in the field from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s.
This foundational resource is the first to explicitly detail the Child and Youth Care (CYC) core competencies for students preparing to take the Child and Youth Care-Professional (CYC-P) certification exam. Designed according to the Child and Youth Care Certification Board (CYCCB), this book offers a comprehensive review of the five domains of CYC practitioner competencies: professionalism, cultural and human diversity, applied human development, relationship and communication, and developmental practice methods. Pedagogical tools bring concepts to life through critical discussion and reflection. The text is packed with tables, chapter learning outcomes, reflection questions, end-of-chapter reference lists, glossary terms, definitions from the CYCCB, and real world case studies. A unique and practical textbook, this is an indispensable resource for introductory courses in child and youth care programs.
Critical and postmodern perspectives have been largely underexplored in the field of child and youth care. This book addresses the gap, showcasing cutting-edge approaches to policy, pedagogy, and practice from diverse perspectives and professional settings. The authors of Child and Youth Care challenge deep-seated assumptions about child and youth care by reinterpreting core concepts such as ethics and outcomes and raising questions about underlying goals and premises. Can the ends of practice be separated from the means? For whose benefit are interventions designed? By recognizing a range of social and political influences on children and youth, this volume bears witness to exciting developments in child and youth care.
Here are the information, ideas, and inspiration that will help child care workers in their daily struggle to provide better care for children, youth, and families. Perspectives in Professional Child and Youth Care is a much-needed sourcebook of readings on the current state of the art of professional child and youth care in North America. Some of the leading practitioners, academicians, researchers, and administrators provide a “child care perspective,” writing about what they--on the front lines--perceive as the most pressing issues and significant topics in the field today, including the nature of child and youth care, current issues in education and training, therapeutic program issues, key support functions in child and youth programs, the changing work environment and new roles, and developing professionalism in the field of child and youth care. This enormously insightful book will be valuable for use in academic courses and training workshops, as well as for individual child and youth care professionals and practitioners from related disciplines.
Themes and Stories in Youth Work Practice takes a refreshing look at the creative possibilities of working with youth in a variety of group care and developmental settings. Author Mark Krueger presents an innovative approach to developing relationships through shared experiences that plays out like modern dance, choreographed according to individual needs and strengths but always open to improvisations that follow the rhythms of life. The book also promotes a framework of understanding youth work through personal stories constructed alone and together by youth and youth workers.
The role of evidence-based practice is one of most central and controversial issues in social work today. This concise text introduces key concepts and processes of evidence-based practice whilst engaging with contemporary debates about its relevance and practicality. Evidence-based Practice in Social Work provides both an argument for the importance of evidence-based practice in social work and fresh perspectives on its controversies and organizational prerequisites. It gives an accessible overview of: Why evidence-based practice is relevant to social work. The challenges that the realities of social work practice present to models of evidence-based practice. Concepts of evidence-based practice as a process and professional culture. The role and nature of evidence. How evidence-based practice can be implemented and the importance of the organisational context. The globalization of evidence-based practice, including issues of cultural diversity and adaptability of evidence-based interventions. Controversies and criticism of evidence-based practice. Written by internationally well-respected experts, this text is an important read for all those with an interest in the area, from social work students to academics and researchers.
