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ISSN 0840-982X

VOLUME 16 NUMBER 1

CONTENTS

3 Editorial
Leanne Rose Sladde

5 The Journey
Ryan Love and Linda J. Love

Abstract: On November 24th, 2001, a young “lifer” stood up to introduce his mother at a Symposium on Restorative Justice. What mother and son had to say about their experiences within the Justice and Correctional systems offer a compelling picture of society’s response to those who commit serious crimes — in this case, murder. At a more profound level, their words express the depth and resilience of the most primary of all relationships — the lifelong bond between mother and child within the context of a loving family.

15 Musings on the Art and Science of Professionalizing Child and Youth Care
Carol Stuart

21 Situated Friendship: Goal and Identity in an After-School Girls’ Program
Megan Coleman, Doug Magnuson & Allison Stringer

Abstract: Most descriptions of youth development theory err in describing only outcomes, not practices and processes that lead to those outcomes. Similarly, most evaluations of youth development programs choose outcome variables that may be arbitrary or unrelated to the experience of youth in the program. In this study, an evaluation strategy using participant-observation and based on situated learning theory was used to try to understand youth experience. The participants were members of two after-school girls’ programs for early adolescents, all of whom had been invited to participate because of their “risk factors” and social isolation. Friendship was the “situated” goal and identity of girls in this program: Girls viewed themselves primarily in the friend role, and achieving and sustaining friendship was the overriding goal of their participation and of the skills they learned. The situated domains of friendship—the way friendship was practiced—included pairing-off, in-group/out-group behavior, play, boy-crazy behavior, self or staff selection, and attention seeking.

35 Working with Families in Child and Youth Care
Thom Garfat

39 “Kith and Kin”: Children Paying the Price for Budget Cuts in British Columbia
Nadia Morrison

42 Oh, to laugh: An Aboriginal perspective in working with children, youth and families
Gail Roach-Leforte

46 It’s Child and Youth Care Conference Time
Garth Goodwin

49 More on the International Conference
Heather Modlin

51 The Relationship Boundaries that Control Programming
Jack Phelan

Abstract: The interactions between workers and supervisors, and supervisors and administrators, who may be at different levels of professional development, are examined. The developmental stage of each of the individuals in these interactions has a more powerful impact on the quality of the relationship than has been previously acknowledged. The awareness of how each person’s stage of professional development influences the supervisory relationship will greatly enhance the ability of staff and agencies to optimize rather than minimize the skill level of staff and the quality of the program.

56 Questions around Congruence
Ernie Hilton

60 An Intensive Group Living Program for Canadian Youth:
Inside the Katimavik Experience
Linda Turner

66 In-Verse relationships
A Special Kind of Love; About School; This Be The Verse

68 Secondary School Counselling as Adolescent Clients See It
Doug Thompson & Tom Strong

Abstract: This research relates secondary school students’ perceptions of the counselling relationship. Grade 12 students participating in counselling relationships, at school, were interviewed in-depth for their views on: 1) conditions making it possible for them to talk, in confidence, with their school counsellor, 2) critical incidents that affected the development of their counselling relationship, and 3) characteristic elements of the relationship between students and their school counsellors. Data analyses using the grounded theory approach suggested five stages to the development of secondary school counselling relationships: motivating stage, initiating stage, comfort stage, working alliance stage, and the change stage. These and other findings of the study are discussed for their implications to counselling practice and counselling research.

83 One Young Woman’s Experience of Collaboration in the
Youth Justice System: A Phenomenological Approach
Susan A. Comerford & Carolyn Holcomb

Abstract: This article presents the “lived experience” of one young woman in the youth justice system. It explores her perceptions about her experiences with the court, the police, social workers, legal counsel, and their interactions on her behalf. Three themes, seeking care in an adversarial system, the impact of high caseloads, and school, truancy, and self esteem are illuminated and are used to expand providers understanding of the experiences of the youth they serve.

91 The Home Visit
Cedrick

97 A Wall of Strength to be Admired
Janice Michieli

Abstract: During the fourth year practicum this Child and Youth Care student discovers the true meaning of child and youth care practice while working with “high risk” youth. The real learning though comes through personal discovery of self within relationship and a deeper understanding of the needs and acknowledgement of the strengths of these young people.

102 Relational Rambling
Karl Gompf

EDITORIAL

Relational Child & Youth Care Practice
(formerly The Journal of Child & Youth Care, established 1982) is committed to promoting and supporting the profession of Child and Youth Care through disseminating the knowledge and experience of individuals involved in the day-to-day lives of young people.

This commitment is founded upon the belief that all human issues, including personal growth and development, are essentially “relational.”

I begin my day each morning as a mother. Not necessarily a unique position but most definitely an honorable one — one of the most relational roles I want to be immersed in, but at the same time one that requires continuous commitment and consciousness.

My life as a parent has been challenged by the need to bridge what I know theoretically, as a Child and Youth Care educator and a self-defined child and youth care professional, with my role as a mother.

I treasure both the relationship and the journey and struggle constantly to marry the two. To this end, I have allowed my parenting to be guided by the strong values and beliefs of my profession, beliefs which often exist in great opposition to what society traditionally has handed down as “good parenting.” Needless to say, it has been a proactive, and sometimes reactive, exercise of not only putting theory into practice but of truly integrating my values into my parenting.

I believe that, whatever I have learned thus far, has always been grounded in relationships, in the broadest sense. Over the past five years, much of my learning has been focussed upon my relationship with my two boys. With the separation between their father and me, a few months ago, I now find myself in the position of having to support myself and my children through complex and painful transitions. As a professional, I realize that this is not unique, but now I’m talking about my own life. As a mother, I know that many parents understand how surreal this can be and I suspect that, like all forms of change, problems and possibilities will continue to do battle for many months to come.

What I have learned from my involvement in the field of Child and Youth Care is the strong emphasis on the need to listen to children and, as logical as that sounds, it is one of the least supported ideas in our society and one of the most rewarding stances I have embraced in my relationship with my children. Over the course of the changes in our current family structure, I have remained vigilant in allowing my children to speak and ensuring that they are heard. In an effort to move in unison with them, and pay attention to their subjective experience, I watch my children; their behaviour, their habits, their play, their fights. I listen to their voices, and I feel their energy. They have lots to say and communicate about their desire for relationship and connection with each other and their parents.

There are days when I find myself on a roller coaster, holding on for dear life, as the seatbelt of security cuts deep and threatens to break. As I climb slowly up to the top of one hill, sitting in the calmness and security of gravity, I begin to panic, consumed by the rapid transition once one arrives at the top of the peak and begins the descent. I know the vessel will once again envelope me in the safety of its knowing, but this does little to ease my transitional anxiety.

Over the past few months, I have come to realize that change is a condition of life and doesn’t necessarily need to be such a trauma, as long as relationship and connection remain at the core. In fact, it can be a strengthening exercise where one is able to pay attention more deliberately to subjective experience and find balance in rapid transitions by traversing through and maintaining a slow and steady pace. Holding onto routines and structure that work for us supports the ever-changing transitions of life and becomes an essential task. The real challenge lies in how we assess the value of those structures and determine those that will be worth keeping. The ‘baby and the bath-water’ analogy applies here. By paying attention to the calmness I am able to move with change and confidently move toward something I know is a better relationship, a better connection.

Given my past year, it is with a sense of familiarity that I participate in the seemingly rapid transition of the Journal of Child and Youth Care to its new form Relational Child and Youth Care Practice. I am comfortable with not knowing what all the changes will bring and am committed to experiencing, with all of you, whatever comes with this rebirth. I know that our new journal will continue to focus on the essentials of our field, publishing writings from those in the field that reflect the commitment to relationship. As with any change, the challenges are many. I sit in the muck comfortably now, knowing that I am on a path in my life, with my parenting, my work, my relationships and with the new Relational Child and Youth Care Practice which embraces my fundamental beliefs and allows me to maintain and nurture relationships and connections.

Welcome.

Leanne Rose Sladde

 

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