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21 JuLY 2008
NO 1324
A vision for 2034
Here then is my vision for the Profession of Child and Youth Care in Canada 30 years from now in 2034. I think it’s a realistic vision. You’ll notice that things aren’t uniform across the provinces and territories. They aren’t uniform now, so we can’t expect that by 2034 Nunavut will have matched Alberta. Apologies to those readers who are not Canadian; I hope this inspires you to create your own vision.
Please remember that this is MY vision, and it is largely fictional; you might not have the same dreams, and fiction is not the same as reality. At the very least I hope that it inspires you to create some dreams of your own for our fledgling profession.
Canada in 2034
The profession of Child and Youth Care has had the support of the
Federal/Provincial/ Territorial Working Group on Child and Family
Services Information for twenty years. This support has resulted in
several national initiatives such as:
Inclusion in the process of developing the Child Welfare League of Canada (CWLC).
Accreditation standards regarding the level of education and/or certification of child and youth practitioners in accredited agencies.
Ongoing pay equity between the private and public sector service providers in health and social services that employ Child and Youth Care practitioners.
Also at the national level, all Child and Youth Care education programs at the college and university level are peer reviewed and approved by the Council of Canadian Child and Youth Care Associations (CCCYCA).
There is an education program in every province and the territories support Northern students to attend institutions in Alberta, British Columbia and Northern Ontario. The CCCYCA has implemented an approval process for provincial certification programs that allows practitioners to transfer from province to province and be immediately certified in their new province under a reciprocal agreement.
These National level changes have encouraged provinces to develop their own approaches to professional regulation. The CCCYCA supports provincial associations and provides various develop- ment tools to assist them to develop the structures and relationships needed in their province for professional regulation.
A membership recruitment video is updated every five years and distributed to the provincial associations. A list of key government contacts, both elected and employed, is maintained for each province along with an information package on political advocacy and public relations. Certification program information is shared inter-provincially and a package on the minimum requirements for an approved certification program is available.
CAROL STUART
Stuart, C. (2004) A vision for 2034:Just so we know what’s possible. Relational Child and Youth Care Practice, 17, 1. pp. 37-41
