Course Description

This Qualification is an entry-level qualification for those who want to enter the field of Child and Youth Care Work as a potential career. It builds on practical experience and community-based learning and equips people for their role as an auxiliary child and youth care worker.

As such the Qualification will also be valuable for those who may have been practising within the field, but without formal recognition. In particular, this Qualification will be useful for Auxiliary child and youth care workers, persons who work in related fields such as social workers, pastoral counsellors, where knowledge and skill of CYCW is an advantage. The course is experiential and interactive with learners gaining real exposure to all aspects of Child and Youth Care.

Purpose Of the Qualification

The purpose of this qualification is to prepare learners to operate as a Child and Youth Care Workers and give them basic knowledge on the following:

• Perform clearly defined tasks and activities which contribute to holistic care and development of
  the young person.
  Develop themselves purposefully, professionally, and as a resource for C&YCW.
•  Demonstrate knowledge of and work in ways that are consistent with the ethics of the field and
  workplace.
• Demonstrate understanding of on-line and consultative supervision and their role in the provision
  of care and their own personal development.
• Describe and uphold the rights of young people, and promote these in their practice.
• Solve common problems within familiar contexts:
• Adjust an application of a common solution within relevant parameters to meet the needs
  of small changes in the problem or operating context.
•  Motivate the change using relevant evidence.

Who This Course is for

The Certificate in Child and Youth Care worker is a qualification for someone who wishes to pursue a career in the field of child and youth care, students that are already in the services of NPO’s, NGO’s, CBO’s and other organisations that provide child and youth care, social services and other welfare related services. Child and Youth Care Workers will work under the supervision of a professional supervisor worker. This qualification will provide the holder of the certificate with opportunities for better access to higher education and work with other caregivers in government and non-governmental organisations.

This course is for those that seek t pursue a career as any of the following:

• Community development
• Community Health Work
• Psychology/Counselling
• Youth Development
• Social Work
• Primary Health Care
• Health studies

Learners will be registered with SACSSP (South African Council of Social Services Professional.)

ENTRY REQUIREMENT

In order to gain access to this qualification, a learner must possess at least a Grade 10 or equivalent certificate or an NQF Level 3 qualification.

• Learners registering for this qualification must have the following skills:
• Reading, writing, listening, and speaking in English, equivalent to NQF Level 3, as at least 80% of the textbooks and documentation are in English.
• The ability to undertake independent learning.

The Course Outlook

The Course consists of the following: Theoretical training (30% of the training programme) with 5 Learning Modules, practical workplace training at a welfare organisation e.g. NGO’s, NPO’s, DSD, DOH, DOE (70% of the training programme).

Both theoretical training and practical workplace in Child and Youth Care worker training is compulsory.

The assessments in this programme consists of theoretical examinations, practical assignments, and a summative case study. It is a must for all students to be competent in all these areas of assessment to qualify for the Social Auxiliary work certificate. Where a learner is not yet competent, he or she will be granted another opportunity.

Final end-of-program examinations are written once learners have completed all course modules. Learners, who are found not to be competent in a module during the examination, will be given another opportunity to write a supplementary examination.