Relational Child and Youth Care is a Constant Journey

We understand both the privilege and responsibility that comes with working with vulnerable youth.  These young people come to us during a very challenging time in their lives and allow us to be an important part of their personal journey. This is not something we take lightly and therefore our practice is constantly evolving as we continue to learn and grow.

Thanks to communication technology our commitment to professional development has become so much easier in recent years as many of the experts in our field are not local. We are very pleased that our employees are currently taking part in international training workshops via Zoom.  Dr. John Digney, National Learning Development Coordinator for Irelands Child and Family Agency (Tusla) has been working with our teams, and others, since the fall on a series of trainings in the area of Relational Child and Youth Care Practice.  These informative sessions have covered many important topics, including: Doing Relational Practice, Being Trauma Informed, Understanding Needs & Pain Based Behaviour, Communicating and Connecting with Young People, Building Resilience & Responding to Needs, Integrity, Acceptance & Love, Self-awareness and Reflective Practice, and Safety, the Unconditional Space and Managing Change. 

This training has been helpful to enhance the practice of our employees who work direct care with the youth. Youth Care Workers have reported the learning is helping to strengthen their relational practice as well as helping them reflect on their own understanding of child and youth care.