What is the difference between child and youth care and social work?

Answer 1

Child and youth workers are trained in college, and have a 3 year college diploma. They do not have to have university degrees. All social workers must have at the very least a bachelor of social work degree in university, although the majoriy of jobs require that they have graduate level (master's level) degrees, such as a Masters degree in social work (MSW). Most social workers have more than two bachelor degrees and one masters degree.

Child and youth workers do not have to be registered or be registered by any regulatory body. Social workers in Ontario must be registered as social workers under the College of Social Workers, which is a regulatory body, where they pay fees, are are accountable to the public.

Child and youth workers are trained in behaviour management, and a bit of individual 1:1 counselling. Their training focusses on the individual. Social workers are trained in individual, couple, marriage, family counselling, and crisis counselling. Social workers are trained to look at the biological, psychological and social environment that affects people, including the family at large, the community they live in, their financial situation, the stressors in their lives, their past, safety issues, and many more.

Child and youth workers are typically hired to work in group homes, to support youth who have run away from home, or to support youth who are in care of the children's aid society. They can work in other settings as well, including a special classroom for students with behaviour issues. Social workers typically work in hospitals, school boards, psychiatric institutions, jails, children's mental health agencies, crisis agencies, and the Children's Aid Society as the intake worker or family service worker. They support the work of day treatment classrooms, by working with the family and the student. Social workers assess current need, and assist people in becoming stable in the longer run as well.

Child and youth workers do not typically get called in to testify in court, but can be called in, just as any member of the public can be called in to testify. Social workers are legally bound to write reports and assessments that are used in court. Social workers are typically called upon to testify in court, and their testimony is considered that of an expert witness.

Child and youth workers have considerably less overall education than social workers. Some child and youth workers go on to do a bachelor in Child and Youth Care. Social workers must have university degrees in order to be considered social workers.

A person with a social service work diploma from a college cannot call themselves social workers, and can be charged for doing so. A person who has a child and youth work diploma from college cannot call themselves social workers, and can be charged for doing so. Only social workers who are registered and licenced as social workers can call themselves social workers in Ontario.

Social workers are trained to deal with children, youth and adults in mental health crisis. Child and youth workers are trained to restrain children and youth who have behaviour problems.

A child and youth worker's training focusses on children and youth, not adults. A social worker's training focusses on children, youth, and adults, including families, couples, and groups.

Children's mental health agencies hire child and youth workers to work in their day treatment classroom for students with behaviour issues, so that there are 2-4 child and youth workers and one teacher. Children's mental health agencies hire social workers as mental health clinicians, to work with children, youth and their families, for children who have a variety of mental health issues, including social, emotional and behavioural issues. Social workers support children and youth and families who have children in day treatment classrooms, by doing home visits, helping families to manage stress, role modelling parenting techniques, and social workers support teachers and child and youth workers in their roles in day treatment classrooms.

Child and youth workers do not typically work in jails, but they do work in group homes. Social workers do work in jails, with men, women and youth who have committed various types of crimes.

Social workers or psychiatric nurses are the ones who are the crisis workers in hospitals, handling suicidal crisis. They work closely with psychologists and psychiatrists. Social workers work with the person in crisis and his or her family, to assist with short and long term goals.

Answer 2

Child and youth care focuses specifically on the well-being and development of children and young people, addressing their emotional, social, and behavioral needs. Social work is a broader field that encompasses working with individuals, families, groups, and communities to address various social issues and promote well-being. Child and youth care workers often provide more hands-on, direct care to young people, while social workers may engage in advocacy, policy development, and case management across diverse populations.