CHILD ABUSE FACTS

This is just a listing of resources to refer to if doing research on the topic or to better understand it for your self.

• The Department of Justice has a page called the Family Violence Initiative which talks about the definition of child abuse, how widespread is it, also the factors, consequences and ways to respond. It talks a lot about the law and facts accumulated on child abuse.
• Stats Canada also has a variety of reports such as: Homicide of Children and Youth which indicates the najority occur by family members, Assault against against Child and Youth in the family, and Incidents of assault in Canada.
• I found this resource that accumulated the stats from Health Canada, Stats Canada and the CIS called Child Abuse Statistics, Resources and Reasearch by Jim Hopper Ph.D.
• The Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services offer a thorough resource on child abuse and the duty to report.
• Also as a resource The Office of the Provincial Advocate has some helpful information regarding supporting the youth for their rights such as to "be and feel safe!"
• LAST but not least here is the Annual Report by the Toronto CAS highlighting what they have done to help protect children and the reports of child abuse in Toronto.

Start at the End

When entering a therapeutic relationship one of the most important parts is having the client understand that the time in your care is limited and that either they will have to move on or you will.
Now this does not mean you will never see them again, in fact if everything goes well the next time you see them they will be well integrated in their family, community, school or facility setting.
The difference being is that the hope is you won't be working with them in the same way.
So when running a program or working in an environment where you have only a specific time frame it is very important to constantly remind the client(s) of the end of the program.
This aids in the separation process which will help them understand some relationships are only temporary and that is a normal thing.  Also sometimes its an important one too since we need to celebrate the time we are together with our client.
Here are some great activities during and at the end of your session:

Groups
* Thank you party banner  - The students reveal the banner as each day passes by removing the corresponding day which are in the shapes of stars, suns, balloons or anything that represents the children (i.e. sports balls)
* Farewell Balloons - Have each client make a thank you paper balloon and fill the inside of a card for the departing Staff.

Individual
* Scrapbook of Success - Make a few pages that identify highlights... allow empty pages for them to fill on their own

Have any ideas send them to me or post below

Welcome to the CYW Corner

This BLOG is dedicated to what is current, new and interesting with the CYW field
Updates will be done weekly with helpful/useful:
CONFERENCE LISTINGS
LINKS & WEBSITES
ACTIVITIES (THERAPEUTIC & NOT)
STORIES/NEWS
EDUCATION/TRAINING
YOUR STUFF TOO!

This Week: Picking the right school for you!
        When considering a school to get your CYW diploma first you can consider your background.  If you have at least 2 years of previous college/university you might be accepted into an accelerated program.  This means you complete your diploma in about 16 months.  The down side is it is consecutive and very intense, the upside is you finish quickly and hopefully get into the field sooner.
        Otherwise you will have to complete a 3 year program which has its own benefits like summer's off and it is not as intensive.  Regardless you will have to do internships or placements as part of your program.  This will give you the on-hands experience in the field while being guided with college and placement supervision.
        Another option is apprenticeship.  It essentially is the same as the full 3 year program except most of the cost is absorbed by the government.

         Here are some LINKS to a few COLLEGES in the GTA as an example of the variety of program and options that are available for prospective students:
         HUMBER - This college offers both a main stream and accelerated program. 
         GEORGE BROWN - Only offers a 3 year program.
         CENTENNIAL - This school offers an apprenticeship CYW program.
         SENECA - Another school offering a 3 year program.
         RYERSON UNIVERSITY - A University diploma program 4 years (2 if you already took a college CYW program).  This gives you a B.A. (CYC)

You can search for more schools offering CYW programs in ONTARIO by visiting www.ontariocolleges.ca