Event
Child and Youth Care in Alberta, a Journey to Professional Recognition
Friday Noon #1 Title: Child and Youth Care Work with Families.
Donna Jamieson is an assistant professor and the Department Chair of the Department of Child and Youth Care at MacEwan University. She was the program supervisor for an Alberta government program that provided assessment and intervention for high risk families for nearly twenty years. Later she managed a team of multi-disciplinary regional consultants who provided consultation and parenting capacity assessments of complex families involved with Human Services.
Jenny McGrath is an assistant professor in the Department of Child and Youth Care program at MacEwan University in Edmonton. She has a long history in CYC, beginning her career in group treatment programs for children and adolescents, moving into family support, and then into teaching. Jennys research interests are family, and Child and Youth Care field placement.
CYC practitioners work differently with families than many other professionals. Our approach is relational, activity-focused and generally occurs in the life space of the children, youth and families with whom we are involved. Whether we work in a more clearly family work role or in a setting where children and youth are living away from their families, it is critical that we are all family friendly and that we have the knowledge and skills to intervene effectively with family groups. Join us for this interactive, fun (we hope) workshop.
Friday noon #2 Title: Understanding Care in Professional Practice: Using Digital Storytelling with Child and Youth Care Students at Mount Royal University
Monica Pauls, MA, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Child Studies and Social Work at Mount Royal University in Alberta, Canada. She has been working as a researcher in the social science field for over a decade and has extensive experience in project development, evaluation and policy analysis. Her research interests include youth empowerment, youth justice, community development and social change.
Dr. Catherine Smey Carston is an Associate Professor, and Director for the Centre for Child Well Being at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. Her career span includes a variety of front line, leadership, research and teaching roles in the field of child and youth studies.
The concept of care is viewed as a foundational ethic in work with children and youth. Teaching and learning about care in a way that is relational and significant to this work is an important consideration when preparing future professionals. In an effort to understand how students define and implement the concept into a professional context, 4th year students in the Bachelor of Child Studies (BCST) at Mount Royal University participated in a digital storytelling workshop to develop their own stories of care. The stories were analyzed through a variety of participatory strategies and student understandings were compared to the curriculum taught in the BCST.
This session will provide an overview of the study and its findings. Digital stories of care will be shared, possibly by some of the student authors. Workshop participants will be challenged to explore their own understandings and interpretations of care in practice. Recommendations around teaching about care to future professionals will also be shared.
Friday am 1 Title: "Voices For Change. Toward a Better Tomorrow."
Coby Eagle Bear is from Kainai First Nation also known as the Blood Tribe. She grew up and lived on the south end of the Blood Reserve until recently. She began her employment with the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate office in Calgary on October 2014 as the Aboriginal Engagement Consultant and enjoys sharing her knowledge and culture. Coby graduated from the University of Lethbridge where she lived, worked and volunteered for several years. In 2012 Coby received the Lethbridge Aboriginal Youth Award for her commitment to the community.
Melanie McIntosh has worked with vulnerable youth for over 20 years. She has been in her current position as Engagement and Education Specialist since October 2012 and a member the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate team for 10 years. Prior to working with the OCYA she has worked in family advocacy, bullying prevention and outreach to the most vulnerable youth living on the street. She is a strong advocate for a society that is inclusive and respectful of young people.
The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate have released two reports that identify systemic issues within the systems that serve Aboriginal communities in Alberta, "Voices For Change" and "Toward a Better Tomorrow." The reports focus on two critical issues, the overrepresentation of Aboriginal young people in Child Welfare and the tragic rate of Aboriginal youth suicide. In 2015/2016, the OCYA reached out to Aboriginal young people, elders, families, caregivers, and key stakeholders through focus group gatherings, interviews, and online surveys to hear from them what is important and helpful to Aboriginal young people before and after they are brought into care. This interesting session will help you to understand this issue from the perspectives of the Aboriginal community, who generously shared their views on how to rewrite the story for Aboriginal young people and their families. "Our hope is that a new story is created for Aboriginal young people and their families involved with the Child Intervention system." Elder, Saddle Lake.
Friday pm #1 Title: Tricks and Treatment: Using a Skatepark Milieu with High Needs Children
Joel Pippus. Joel is a senior Child and Youth Care Counselor and Team Leader at the Cottage One Program with Hull Services in Calgary, Alberta. He has been working in the field of Child and Youth Care for about 6 years, and has been Certified under the Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta since 2013. Joel is a Therapeutic Crisis Intervention and Risk Management trainer for the Agency, supervises half of the Cottage One relief team, and this year won the John Russel Teague Award at Hull Services (awarded to the most outstanding front line worker in the agency) as well as the Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta Counselor of the Year. Joel has enjoyed skateboarding for the last 16 years, and is currently orchestrating the rollout of the Matt Bannister Memorial Skatepark for the Agency.
James Whittaker defines a therapeutic milieu as, a specially designed environment in which the events of daily living are used as formats for teaching competence in basic life skills. The living environment becomes both a means and the context for growth and change, informed by a culture that stresses learning through living. In the short time that we have had the Matt Bannister Memorial Skatepark as a resource at Hull Services, we have quickly recognized what an incredible therapeutic milieu the skatepark is, as demonstrated by the incredible growth and change in the lives of a number of our persons served.In this presentation I will share my experiences in spearheading the development and utilization of an incredible new resource on our main campus at Hull Services, Calgary AB: the Matt Bannister Memorial Skatepark. The Skatepark has allowed me to connect the work that I do as a Child and Youth Care Counsellor with skateboarding, both huge passions in my life. A number of youth from around the agency have been utilizing this resource, and in particular 4 or 5 kids from my home program, a residential treatment cottage. This has provided me a front row seat to what an incredible context for treatment the milieu of this new skatepark is proving to be. I will introduce the topic by playing a short training video demonstrating how the skatepark is set up to be a therapeutic milieu. I will then explore a case study of a particular youth who uses the skatepark an average of five days per week. Through this case study, I will highlight the amazing skill development that this young person has experienced in the areas of therapeutic relationships, social skills, problem-solving, self-mastery, self-regulation and resilience. Lastly, I will address the incredible connection between skateboarding (and other action sports) and the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), which is used in our Agency. It is my hope that other Child and Youth Care Counsellors will be inspired to capitalize on skateboarding and other action sports available in their communities, and recognize them as the incredible resources that they are to affect lasting change in the lives of our young people.
Friday pm # 2 Title: Children And Residential Experiences: Creating Conditions for Change
Anton is currently the Executive Director with Oak Hill Boys Ranch, which provides campus based treatment services for boys between the ages of 8 and 16 years. He has been a seasonal instructor for Grant MacEwen University, Bachelor of Child and Youth Care Program. Anton has presented at various Provincial, National and International conferences and has published in 2 peer reviewed journals Anton has completed a Masters in Social Work (2005) through Dalhousie University in Child and Family Practice and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria. He recently was the recipient of 2 awards: Service Excellence issued by the Sturgeon School Division (2014) and VISIONARY OF THE YEAR (2014) by the Child and Youth Care Association o Alberta. He currently lives in Edmonton.
Stacey Charchuk has worked at Oak Hill Boys Ranch for over 16 years within the role of a Child and Youth Care Worker, Supervisor, and Assistant Director. She affectionately refers to herself as an Oak Hill lifer unable to imagine providing care to young people outside of the serenity of the Ranch. Stacey has been a certified Therapeutic Crisis Intervention trainer for the past 6 years and more recently a Children And Residential Care: Creating Conditions for Change trainer at Oak Hill. Stacey has a Bachelor Degree in Criminology from the U of A and is a Certified Child and Youth Care Worker.
This seminar will provide participants with an opportunity to learn about a model of residential care, Children and Residential Care, Creating Conditions for Change (CARE), developed by the Residential Child Care Project at Cornell University, The CARE model is principle-orientated approach grounded in evidence informed practice and orientated in trauma. The participant will have an opportunity to learn about the model and the implementation process as well as the results.
Research indicates that in order to have positive outcomes with children in their care, organizations must have a positive culture and climate. Children and Residential Experiences (CARE) provides a practice framework orientated in the Child and Youth Care theory. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the organization; brief overview if client demographics; the six CARE principles that form the foundation for creating conditions for change in residential care. These principles have a strong research and/or theoretical relationship to positive child outcomes. The baseline data and results from 5 years of follow up data that has informed practice change along with the organizations experience with the implementation of the of the CARE program will be presented.
Saturday am 1 Title: Unity through Relationship 2016 Presentation Information
Presenters: Michelle Briegel and Pennie Sibbald
Michelle Briegel is the Director of Research and Development with the Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta, as well as an instructor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta in the Department of Child Studies and Social Work. Michelle has over 20 years of experience in the field of Child and Youth Care, is a Certified Child and Youth Care Counsellor, and holds a Masters of Educational Leadership.
Pennie Sibbald is on the Board of Directors, Chair of the Certification Committee and Co-Chair of the Education Committee for the Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta, as well as a Council member and Chair of the Communications Committee for the Canadian Council of Child and Youth Care Associations. Pennie has over 20 years of experience in the field of Child and Youth Care, holds a B.A. in Sociology, and is a Certified Child and Youth Care Counsellor.
Title: I am Not a Babysitter; Transitioning to a Child and Youth Care Professional Identity.
Many people in our community still view Child and Youth Care as babysitting. Transitioning from babysitter to being viewed as a professional is a process we need to pursue if we are to change public perception. In order to impact our field and to be recognized as professionals by others, we need to establish a unified voice and advocate for child and youth care practice.
By increasing our own standards of practice, collaborating to employ these standards, and developing competency across our field we give ourselves the best chance to become professionalized, and therefore enhance our capacity to further influence the lives of traumatized children and families in our communities.
This workshop looks at the presentation of Child and Youth Care Workers in comparison to the larger human service community. Our field has spent much time looking at who we are by determining our identity, but how are we doing at projecting our professional selves and professional practice in the community? Using legislation, education, and professional development as the tools to take our field into the next stage of growth we will examine a framework for the Child and Youth Care profession to follow. Join us to hear about what we are doing to increase visibility as recognized professionals.
Saturday am # 2 (insert Shawns session here)
Saturday noon #1 Title: Maximizing Relational Strategies. Working with Youth Experiencing Complex Mental Health within a Residential Setting.
Jason Slemko, Registered Psychologist and Clinical Director for Safe Directions: Secure Services and Reflections Program of Hull Child and Family Services, Calgary, Alberta. Mr. Slemko is a Calgary based Psychologist with 15 years of experience with youth and those responsible for them. Mr. Slemkos professional experience in community and residential settings includes working with violent and suicidal youth and their families as well as with youth who have been (or who are at risk of being) sexually exploited. Intensive family and individual counseling regarding traumatic incidents as well as issues emanating from protracted abuse have been the center of his therapeutic focus. Mr. Slemko is heading the Critical Incident Stress Management Team and the Stress Management Program for Hull Child and Family Services as well as serving five programs under the Secure Services continuum.
Jason Hegler, Registered Psychologist for Safe Directions: Secure Services and Reflections Program of Hull Child and Family Services, Calgary, Alberta. Mr. Hegler is a Calgary based Psychologist with 10 years of experience with youth and those responsible for them. Mr. Heglers professional experience in community and residential settings includes working with volatile and suicidal youth and their families; youth experiencing issues pertaining to complex mental health; as well as youth who have been (or who are at risk of being) sexually exploited. Mr. Hegler has had extensive involvement with youth experiencing issues related to violence, disturbances of conduct, and antisocial presentations.
Service to youth with complex mental health demands maximizing relational strategies. Core concepts regarding relationship development and milieu considerations will be discussed. The analysis of relationship development will serve to promote self-awareness and other awareness with a view to support an interpersonal process essential for promoting regulation and reasoning among all clients. Through examples of milieu intervention including group therapy, individual therapy, and milieu interventions in general, the presenters speak to the processes that, in their experience and education, have led to strengthening relationships and consequently better outcomes for youth requiring exceptionally individualized care and consideration.
Saturday noon #2. Catherine (insert her session here)
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LocationMount Royal University (View)
4825 Mount Royal Gate SW
Calgary, AB T3E 6K6
Canada
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| Minimum Age: 18 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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