Accreditation

1. Accreditation Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Board of Canada Business plan Power point Draft #2

2. Background – child and youth Care • The purpose of the Child and Youth Care profession is to support children, youth, families and communities experiencing complex challenges toward optimal health and development. This purpose is realized through core principles that include therapeutic relationships, life space intervention, meaning making and with an overarching focus on strength and competence. • Child and Youth Care practitioners can be found in a variety of settings such as group care and residential treatment, family support, community outreach, schools, and hospitals.

3. Child and Youth Care • Child and Youth Care is a field of practice that includes front-line work, supervision, management, education, and research. Child and Youth Care Practitioner is an umbrella term that includes child and youth care workers, child and youth care counsellors, youth care workers, and related terms. • Child and Youth Care educators at the diploma, bachelor, master and doctoral levels contribute to the profession through teaching, scholarship and service. • The educational focus is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that support graduates to work with vulnerable young people and families.

4. History of the CYCEA • The Accreditation Board is the culmination of many years of work by CYC educators and professionals. • In recognition of the need for improved standards in child and youth care, the task force on Child and Youth Care in Educational Accreditation was created In 2006. • In 2010 the task force submitted a report that included the accreditation model subsequently adopted by the CYCEA.

5. History of the CYCEA - continued • Based on recommendations from the Task Force, the accreditation board was formed and registered with Industry Canada in 2012.  • All members of the board are educators and/or professionals, and the Board’s membership includes higher education programs and professional associations.

6. Vision statement To provide the standard for exemplary child and youth care education in Canada.

7. Mission Statement To ensure quality education for child and youth care practitioners through the assessment and review of postsecondary educational programs and the development of standards which support quality improvement.

8. Why Accreditation? Accreditation contributes to high quality education and consistently high standards of professional practice in a variety of manners through the potential functions it may perform: • a vehicle for organizational change; • a method to achieve sound quality assurance practices;

9. Why Accreditation - continued • a system for demonstrating accountability to a) children, youth, and families, b) students, and c) child and youth care educators;  • a mechanism to create a community of practice among child and youth care education programs.

10. Why Accreditation - continued Accreditation is a process for regular, rigorous review of program goals, pedagogies, and outcomes. It facilitates dialogue and education within and across CYC programs about innovation and quality, assisting with decision-making about where and how to situate a School, Department, or Program.

11. Objectives The objectives of Accreditation are: • To establish and implement a process of regular quality assurance for post-secondary Child and Youth Care education programs in Canada. • To promote the highest standards of training and pre-service education for the field. • To reflect advances in best practice in Child and Youth Care with the input of accredited programs, as well as changes to provincially defined norms, including relevant legislation.

12. Who? Accreditation involves Canadian Colleges and Universities that provide: • Child and Youth Care Practitioner diplomas, • advanced diplomas • undergraduate degrees.

13. Who - continued It is estimated that there are over 50 different publically funded post-secondary institutions offering Child and Youth Care education in Canada. Accreditation is also available to Child and Youth Care education programs outside of Canada.

14. Standards The core components of the curriculum (although emphasis will vary from diploma to degree) shall include: • Foundations of Child and Youth Care Practice • Communications and counseling (both oral and written) • Therapeutic Interventions and Group Work • Family Studies; Theory • Practicum/Internship • Research and Evaluation • Liberal Arts/Generalists • Professional Electives/Specialization.

15. Accreditation Overview Accreditation activities are a supplement to typical institutional program review processes, which usually focus on university and college expectations and interests. The focus of accreditation is on expectations in CYC professional education.

16. How is accreditation Different than Program review? • Ongoing review. • Concrete comparison to other programs. • Criteria for reviewer visits. • Facilitates entry into a community sharing its resources and experience. • Driven by ideals in the profession rather than institutional goals.

17. How is accreditation Different than Program review? - continued • Emphasis on internal coherence and external validity. • An emphasis on outcomes. • “Self-study” rather than a defense. • Program review is prescribed, while the self-study process is intended to be self-directed.

18. Quality enhancement Assess how well the program meets the aims of: • Equipping students with values, skills, and knowledge that promote well-being and justice. • Using valid measures of whether they are used • on the job by graduates. • Using valid measures of whether graduates are successful.

19. Quality Enhancement Purposes • Documenting "the efficacy of the program” (Clark, 1999) understood as service outcomes. • Implementing and maintaining “rigor and innovation…in the instruction and curriculum of the school” (Clark, 1999). • Closing the gap between "educational programs and practice sites,” a gap documented by Stuart (2006). • Closing the gap between the explicit and the implicit curriculum (Holloway, 2008).

20. Outcomes Assessment Model • Programs must demonstrate that their institutions have plans in place for assessing educational outcomes. • They must show evidence that the results of these assessments have led to the improvement of teaching and learning processes and improved preparation of program graduates to enter professional positions upon graduation.

21. Outcomes assessment model - continued Accrediting bodies are moving away from “input” models that prescribe specific courses, credit hours, etc. to the examination of “output” that has been validated by advisory committees, program graduates, data collection, and “operational processes” that support students’ competence and promote increased opportunity for success in their professional work following graduation.

23. Cost • The fee for accreditation is $5000. The fee is due with the application for accreditation. • This fee can also be paid in annual instalments, if the payments begin at least one year before the accreditation year. • Accreditation and Membership are separate, and programs who are accredited are required to maintain their annual membership of $300.

24. Contact Information Additional information on Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation and the CYCEABC can be found at www.cycaccreditation.ca. Email us at cyceab@gmail.com.