From the Editor
Varda Mann-Feder / 3

Nexus
Mark Krueger / 5

Certification Update
Frank Eckles / 14

Tapestries
Frank Eckles / 16

Creative Treatment Planning at a Group Home for Troubled Adolescents
Cynthia Davis / 29

ABSTRACT.- This article is intended to explain the theory and practice of the creative treatment plans used at a group home which provides residential and day treatment to adolescents in difficulty. The first section reviews theoretical influences and their applications, and the second section discusses the elements involved in writing treatment plans. Treatment plans at the group home are designed individually to use themes or metaphors which are meaningful to each client. Theories explored are Applied Behavioral Analysis, Strategic/Systems Therapy and Narrative Therapy. The steps to writing treatment plans are explained and a sample plan is provided

The Motivation Ladder: An Integrated Developmental Model for Facilitating School Integration
Bruce A. Gray / 39

ABSTRACT. Learning, emotional, attention, relationship, and social problems are normally defined by disparate symptoms and treated by various professionals in different ways. As research clarifies the integrated way the brain develops and functions, however, it is becoming clear that at the point of origin these problems may have more in common than current educational and therapeutic practice would suggest. The Motivation Ladder builds from this research to identify and describe two early and critically important developmental steps which form the foundation for both emotional control and academic learning. Youth who cannot develop beyond this level can have a very hard time in school and frequently drop out by grade 9. Understanding these first two steps will enable parents, teachers, and youth care workers to design effective interventions for integrating those youth most often left behind.

Relational-Based Interventions: The Medium is the Message
Lee Hackney and Karen MacMillan / 57

ABSTRACT In this article we present a framework what we have termed Relational-Based Interventions (RBIs). RBIs highlight the importance of valuing relationships for resilient adaptation and emphasize that how we respond to others, and how they respond to us, defines how we view ourselves as a people. Drawing upon attachment theory we present a rationale for a stronger focus on relationships in group care settings and provide a basic structure to guide such efforts. While delivering RBI's may appear deceivingly simple in nature, we advocate for more conscientious and purposeful use of these types of strategies in daily work with youth living in care.

Juvenile Offenders: An Irish Child and Youth Care Perspective
Niall McElwee, Michael O'Connor and Susan McEnna / 69

ABSTRACT. International research has shown that the years 16 to 18 are the peak years for criminal offending and that nearly half of all crime is committed by teenagers. An estimated 38 percent of all crime in Ireland is committed by juveniles, ages 14 to 17. This paper views a specific population within the Irish social care system generally designated as male 'juvenile offenders'. It provides some background demographic statistics and notes the public perception is that crime by young persons is not only on the increase, but is more serious than ever before (Pearson, 1983), a view reflected by the Irish Government. The body of the paper draws from our collective experience in child and youth care and examines some key areas residential care management staff need to consider with regard to young offenders leaving care. Effective program development for youth leaving care for independent living is now considered crucial to potential success and permeates all good practice.

Boundary Realities from the Wisdom of Female Youth in Residential Treatment
Pamela A. Richmond / 80

ABSTRACT. To date, there is scant literature addressing the topic of professional boundaries with teenagers in residential treatment programs. Because the gap in the literature has left many questions unanswered, a qualitative case study was conducted in order to gain a more thorough understanding of professional boundaries as they relate to adolescent females placed in residential treatment for emotional and behavioral difficulties.

The young women articulately expressed their desire to have a physical (nonsexual) and emotional relationship with both their peers and staff members. In addition, the young women asserted that they wanted staff to set limits so that boundary violations could and would not occur. However, within the daily living environment teens expressed a desire to have the confines of boundary crossing situations to be more relaxed. Based on the findings, implications for practice are suggested.

Vulnerable Citizens: The Oppression of Children in Care
Kim Snow / 94

ABSTRACT. This paper frames children in out-of-home care as a singularly oppressed group. Children as citizens are considered in terms of their rights, evolving capacities, best interests and voice. Using recognized criteria determining oppression, the situation of youth in care as an associative group is contrasted with that of children in general, as an aggregate group. Children's rights and participation - called for in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - are examined with particular focus on children's voice in relation to regulated care. Child and youth practitioners are urged to become champions for children's rights and to speak out on behalf of youth in care, a most particularly oppressed group.
 

FROM THE EDITOR

This is my last issue as Editor of the Journal of Child and Youth Care Work. When I was first approached in 1998 by the board of the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice to take on this job, I was overwhelmed. Not just by the potential responsibility and complexity of the task, but also by how deeply honored I felt to be approached for this important task. Editing a journal in any field is prestigious, especially for an academic, but editing a journal in our field is a sacred trust. Child and Youth Care can only move ahead as a profession if: its literature continues to grow and develop; if new authors and new readers come on board; and if the unique perspective represented in our writings become visible to the full range of helping professions. I firmly believe that we are well on the road to achieving these goals.

It is time now for someone else to step in to edit this journal, and to participate in giving leadership to the further development of our publications. Since I became Editor, we have established a peer review process and instituted a regular publication schedule. We are well on our way to being indexed in the major social science data bases. In the years ahead, I hope that the journal will continue to reach out to new authors, especially front line workers, and to champion the addition of publications that will support our emerging certification process.

There were countless individuals who contributed to the journal during my tenure as Editor. Their dedication and energy have sustained me and enriched the journal. I want to extend my most heartfelt thanks to all, and yet there are some special individuals whose contributions I must single out. Special thanks go to:

• Mark Krueger, founding Editor and publisher, without whose passion and dedication this journal would not have been possible - Presidents David Thomas and Chip Bonsutto of the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice, whose high level of commitment to the journal has insured its survival as an important vehicle for the field
• Henry Maier, Jerome Beker, Karen VanderVen and Martha Mattingly, whose generous mentoring has been a constant source of inspiration
• Laura Shenk, John Korsmo, and Peter Rosenblatt, who all served as Managing Editors during this period, and whose vision and hard work has shaped the journal
• Our dedicated Editorial Board members, whose participation has resulted in a review process that promotes excellence
• Dean Martin Singer and Dean David Graham of Concordia University, whose continuous support has made it possible for me fulfill my role
• Patricia Hook Painter and Gail Palevsky, my able Editorial Assistants, who worked with me and all of our authors to maintain high standards for the journal

Finally I want to acknowledge the authors, who in the end have made the largest contribution, by sharing their knowledge and expertise through their writing. And you, dear readers, whose engagement and interest sustains all of our journals, and whose exceptional work, day in and day out, is at the heart of Child and Youth Care Work.

Varda Mann-Feder