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Diploma Program

Child and Youth Services Worker

Diploma

49 weeks

Qualified Instructors

This program can be offered at the campus(es) below. Please contact the campus of your choosing for program availability and delivery methods.

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In Person (On Campus)

Distance

Distance (Online)

Employment Rate

92%

*Jan-Dec 2023, CDI College AB;

Average Wage

$24 /hour

*alis.alberta.ca; 2024;

Make A Positive Impact With the Child and Youth Services Worker Program

 Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people? The Child and Youth Services Worker program equips you with the practical skills needed to help others address family challenges, poverty reduction, mental health education, addiction issues, and more.

 

  • SOCIAL SERVICE WORK
  • PSYCHOLOGY
  • ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH
  • POVERTY REDUCTION
  • CASE FILE MANAGEMENT
  • CHILD AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
  • YOUTH JUSTICE
  • SOCIAL WELFARE SYSTEMS
  • INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES
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Licensed College and Program

CDI College Alberta programs are licensed under the Private Vocational Training Act in the province of Alberta.

Program Intro Background

Program Courses

Student Success Strategies

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The purpose of this course is to provide students with the knowledge, skills and study techniques to help foster effective learning and a positive educational experience. This course explores two components of learning styles, Multiple Intelligence-based theory and Personality Spectrum – MBTI-based theory, and how learning styles and personality types affect learning. The course will cover the importance of values, their relationship to goals and goal setting. Strategies for setting personal goals, prioritizing tasks, managing time, and the stress that results from study or work situations will be explored and practiced through active participation in learner-centred activities. Effective study habits, techniques for preparing for tests and productive note taking strategies are key topics of this course that will provide the students with the necessary skills and attitudes to be successful in school. Having a sound understanding of financial, money, credit and debt matters and their implication on our lives is critical knowledge to have. Students taking this course will benefit from completing the Financial Management Workshops, which provides comprehensive coverage of financial and money management skills that will allow them to better save, budget, and manage their money and financial situations.

Introduction to Social Service Work

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This course is designed to give the student an introduction to social service work in Canada. Social service workers and allied professionals play a pivotal role in improving the social welfare of individual people and whole communities. These helping professionals do so from a variety of contexts, but from a coherent “strengths-based’ values platform. Students will learn what social services workers do, how they do it, why they do it, and what good it does.

Professional Communications for Social Services

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This course helps the student understand the basic elements of adult interpersonal communication. All professional communication skills (such as counselling skills, interviewing skills, and so on) are supported by a foundation of adult interpersonal communication. Focusing on the four main areas of communication -- verbal, nonverbal, interpersonal, and group -- the course gives the student opportunities to intensively practice basic communication skills via role-playing, feedback, and other practical exercises.

Diversity and Social Justice in Helping Relationships

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This course presents diversity from a much broader perspective than just race and ethnicity, exploring a broad spectrum of cultural and diversity issues and their impact on the client-counsellor relationship. Students will have the opportunity to learn from external speakers with expertise in specific communities as well as an opportunity to hone their clinical skills via role-playing.

Professional Ethics

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This subject is designed to provide the student with a framework in which to view helping functions and related skills in a systematic manner. The subject concentrates on the helper’s task of becoming a more aware and effective person. The emphasis is on empowering others to help themselves through the development of communication and coping skills.

  • Reasons for students seeking a career in the helping profession
  • Practical strategies for ensuring quality experiences in fieldwork and supervision stages of the helping process
  • Common problems at work in regards to resistance, transference, counter -transference and difficult clients
  • Ethical awareness and learning for helpers
  • Value and belief systems of helpers
  • One’s role in the community as a helper
  • Stress and burnout

Psychology

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This subject provides the student with a basic knowledge and understanding of psychological concepts that can be applied in the subjects that follow.

Fundamentals of Poverty

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The course explores the impact poverty has on the individuals who must cope with it as well as the impact on the community as a whole. Particular emphasis is placed on child poverty in Canada as well as de-bunking myths and stereotypes about poverty. Two special topics in poverty are also covered: poverty and homelessness and poverty, and Aboriginals and the impact of the Legacy. The importance of education and occupation is also covered. As one of their module deliverables, students construct personal resource binders of local agencies and organizations that support people coping with poverty. They will be able to refer to these for future projects and while on practicum.

Fundamentals of Addiction

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This subject provides the foundation for further in-depth subjects in the study of addiction. The basic pharmacological nature and effects of a range of psychoactive chemicals are presented with an emphasis on challenging the myths of which chemicals cost society the most in terms of economic costs and social burden of human suffering. Specific target populations are explored, focusing on women, children, adolescents, ethnic minorities, elderly, the disabled, and those suffering from mental illness. Assessment, intervention strategies, and treatment options are presented along with the most common problems encountered during treatment.

Fundamentals of Mental Health

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This course explores basic questions regarding mental health. It explains the formal diagnostic categories of the DSM-IV-TR, common medications used in pharmacotherapies for mental health concerns, as well as the impact mental health concerns have on the affected individuals. Particular emphasis is placed on community-based interventions and supports for people living with mental health issues as well as the importance of the duty to warn. As one of their module deliverables, students construct personal resource binders of local agencies and organizations that support people coping with mental health. They will be able to refer to these resources for future projects and while on practicum.

Working with Families

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This course provides students with an introduction to issues frequently encountered when working with families affected by addiction. Drawing on Bowen and Solution-Focussed family therapies, it provides tools that help social service workers understand various family dynamics. Basic strategies for interviewing families are reviewed. The concept of codependency is introduced, both in terms of the family life of clients, and the workers’ own risk for developing codependent behaviours on the job. A basic introduction to working with diverse family groups is provided.

Case File Management and Report Writing

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This course is designed to give the student an introduction to case management, documentation, and report writing in the social work field. It covers the effects of deinstitutionalization and the importance of the case manager role. Types of recording in this course include process recording and summary recording along with intake summaries. The process behind intake interviews, service delivery planning, building case files, and service coordination are also covered. The course also examines ethical and legal issues giving students an idea of the various areas where competence improves with experience. Various roles in case management such as assessment, intake procedures, outreach, and resources are also covered.

Burnout and Self-Care

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Helping professionals who work with traumatized or otherwise "at-risk" individuals are at risk themselves for developing secondary traumatic stress. The very qualities that led workers to the social service employment -- compassion and empathy -- are the ones that make workers particularly vulnerable to this. Murphy’s Law and the different types of stress are also brought to the forefront. This course briefly reviews the nature and diagnostic criteria of both post-traumatic stress and secondary post-traumatic stress. The primary focus in this module is practical, hands-on strategies that social service workers can use to prevent burnout and increase self-care.

Community Services Worker Certificates

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In this module, students earn three certificates. The certificates are:

  • First Aid/CPR
  • Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
  • Non-violent Crisis Intervention (NCI)

Instruction for the external certificates will be provided by certified trainers in these specialties.

Child Development, Trauma, Grief, and Loss

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This course introduces the student to the foundations of child development and the impact of adverse childhood experiences on a child’s development. The course will explore three main areas essential for support; child development, trauma and itrs effect on children and the impact of loss and grief on children and youth. Students will learn the age versus stage development expectations for children in a physical, intellectual social and emotional level. The course will also explore childhood trauma as a result of intense events that could threaten the safety or security of a child and impair the child’s abiltiy to trust and develop meaningful relationships with others, with emphasis on how childhood trauma impacts a child’s actions, social interactions, abilty to learn and care for themselves. The course will also explore the relationship between loss and grief and how grief is a response to loss. Students will gain an understanding of how grief is a normal response to loss. The course will provide the student with foundational knowledge on how the caregiver can support children in meeting their development potential in working through issues of trauma, grief and loss in a developmentally appropriate manner.

Advocacy and Empowerment of Youth

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This course introduces the student to the foundations of advocacy and empowerment for young people. How to lay the groundwork for advocacy is explained as well as ways to build rapport with youth to facilitate effective advocacy. Different strategies based on education components to empower youth while learning through education and personal choices are covered. Finally, how to advocate for effective standards of professions and healthy meaningful programming is explored.

Youth and the Social Welfare Systems in Canada

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This course is designed to give the student critical insight in to the social category youth and how the boundaries and definitions of youth are socially and historically determined based on the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), the impact of various social systems (justice systems, social services systems, education systems etc.) on youth identity formation is explored, as well as observing the differences in the Young Offenders Act (YOA) and the YCJA. The ways for youth to access social justice in these systems are outlined, as well as examining the growing inequalities around youth.

Interviewing Techniques: Youth

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This course is designed to provide students with a foundation in interviewing techniques including the use of non-verbals, making effective inquiries, sharing and recognizing feelings, understanding others’ underlying beliefs, knowing what information to give and when to give it, and developing one’s own personal style. Effective communication is the foundation for one’s relationship with a client. Interviewing skills should be practiced in order to enhance one’s full potential. By the end of this course, students should have a grasp of the variety of these skills necessary to be a successful interviewer. The focus in this course is interviewing clients with various issues including substance or process abuse issues, so all role-plays etc. are designed with that client group in mind.

Introduction to Youth Justice Issues

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This course is designed to give students an overview of the youth justice system of Canada as well as insight into the impact contact with justice system has in the lives of young people. Myths/stereotypes versus the realities of youth crime in Canada are presented. Community-based interventions, rehabilitation, and restorative justice options for youth are explored.

Youth Diversity: Culture & Subculture

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This course is designed to give students an overview of the impact of culture and subculture on youth. The specifics issues and needs of immigrant and LGBTTIQ youth, Aboriginal youth are explored. The impact of associations, activity, and style subcultures on youth is also investigated.

Career & Employment Strategies

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In addition to learning career-oriented skills, students learn how to get a job in their chosen profession. Our Employment Services department will assist the graduate in resume writing, as well as preparing for job interviews. Our staff is sensitive to current job market trends and the needs of employers in each local market.
Our graduates receive guidance and training to use career tools that help job seekers build a better resume and cover letter, manage an online portfolio, hone interviewing skills, and develop a personal brand online.
Students will have the use of a computer lab which has unlimited Internet access, as well as job search resources. Facilitators will also be made available to advise on job finding resources, interview skills and techniques and to carry out mock interviews.

This course also looks at the planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up stages of an interview:

  • How people find jobs
  • Employer expectations
  • Presenting an enthusiastic attitude
  • Focusing on the right job and the hidden job market
  • Transferrable skills
  • Thank you letters
  • Effective telemarketing
  • Handling objections, self-confidence, and self-esteem
  • Individual counselling and coaching

Practicum

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For this mandatory 100 hour (5 week) field placement, students are expected to act as employees in a workplace related to youth services, gaining the valuable “real world” experience that employers seek. Students are encouraged to find their own field placement site. The business organization providing the placement is not expected to pay for the services provided by the student during the practicum.

Child and Youth Services Worker: Capstone Project

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This is the capstone project component of the Child and 
Youth Services Worker program, which is the opportunity for 
students to apply their knowledge and skills from the 
classroom portion of the program to practical situations 
typically encountered in Child and Youth Services work 
environment. The variety of tasks to perform as part of the 
capstone project will be aligned to a typical working 
environment and real life situations.

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Admission

Benefits of this program

Employment Opportunities

All applicants must meet with an admissions representative in addition to ONE of the following criteria:

  • Standard Admission (Students must meet ALL of the following criteria):
    • Students must meet ALL of the following criteria:
    • Provide a CRC/Immunization disclaimer (form provided by the college);
    • Provide a signed sobriety declaration (form provided by the College); and
    • Alberta high school diploma or equivalent verified by transcript or DAR.

 

  • Mature Admission (Students must meet ALL of the following criteria):
    • Provide a CRC/Immunization disclaimer (form provided by the college);
    • Provide a signed sobriety declaration (form provided by the College);
    • Be at least 18 years of age prior to admission (19 for out of province); and
    • Successful completion of the Reeves College Admissions Test.
    • *Manitoba applicants must also have been out of school for one year in addition to the above

 

  • Practicum Prerequisites
    • Provide a negative criminal record check with vulnerable sector search

Note: Students selecting the capstone project instead of practicum placement do not require a criminal record check to be provided to the college. However, the existence of a criminal record will limit employability in this industry.

  • Transfer your skills to a wide range of social service settings
  • Get real-world, hands-on training
  • Thrive in a supportive community with classmates, instructors, and support staff
  • Learn the day-to-day operations of a services office
  • Experience an unmatched level of support from our Student Services department
  • Facilitate group work and learn interviewing techniques
  • Receive assistance finding jobs and creating resumes from our Career Services team
  • Alcohol and Drug Treatment Facilities
  • Community Mental Health Centres
  • Correctional Facilities
  • Family Social Service Agencies
  • Group Homes
  • Indigenous Agencies
  • School Programs

All applicants must meet with an admissions representative in addition to ONE of the following criteria:

  • Standard Admission (Students must meet ALL of the following criteria):
    • Students must meet ALL of the following criteria:
    • Provide a CRC/Immunization disclaimer (form provided by the college);
    • Provide a signed sobriety declaration (form provided by the College); and
    • Alberta high school diploma or equivalent verified by transcript or DAR.

 

  • Mature Admission (Students must meet ALL of the following criteria):
    • Provide a CRC/Immunization disclaimer (form provided by the college);
    • Provide a signed sobriety declaration (form provided by the College);
    • Be at least 18 years of age prior to admission (19 for out of province); and
    • Successful completion of the Reeves College Admissions Test.
    • *Manitoba applicants must also have been out of school for one year in addition to the above

 

  • Practicum Prerequisites
    • Provide a negative criminal record check with vulnerable sector search

Note: Students selecting the capstone project instead of practicum placement do not require a criminal record check to be provided to the college. However, the existence of a criminal record will limit employability in this industry.

  • Transfer your skills to a wide range of social service settings
  • Get real-world, hands-on training
  • Thrive in a supportive community with classmates, instructors, and support staff
  • Learn the day-to-day operations of a services office
  • Experience an unmatched level of support from our Student Services department
  • Facilitate group work and learn interviewing techniques
  • Receive assistance finding jobs and creating resumes from our Career Services team
  • Alcohol and Drug Treatment Facilities
  • Community Mental Health Centres
  • Correctional Facilities
  • Family Social Service Agencies
  • Group Homes
  • Indigenous Agencies
  • School Programs
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Hear From Our Graduates

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I have only amazing things to say about this school. Starting with my instructor, who has been so amazing!!! The best experience. I took the Child & Youth Services Worker diploma, and from start to finish, CDI College has been there every step of the way, 

Kayla M.

Child and Youth Services Worker Program Graduate

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A great experience...my instructor was very professional and knowledgeable, plus keeps classes fun and organized!

Darlene U

Healthcare Program Graduate

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