“Doing Ethics” in Child and Youth Care Practice

Authors

  • Mabruka Titiaka Faisel Jajah Kent State University
  • Dale Curry Kent State University
  • Kathleen Walker Kent State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jcycw.2025.474

Keywords:

Child and youth care practice, culturally responsive CYC practice, ethical considerations in youth work, inter-professional practice (CYC and Education),, poverty and youth work, socio-economic mobility for youth

Abstract

The importance of ethics education and training is recognized by the child and youth care (CYC) field and many other related human service fields of practice. While most CYC-related professions require members to receive ethics training to maintain professional licenses and certification, there appears to be no universally agreed-upon approach to the training of ethics. This article describes a model for ethics training and provides brief examples of learning activities that address each element of the ethics training model.

References

Association for Child and Youth Care Practice (2022). Standards for Practice of North American Child and Youth Care Practitioners. Retrieved from https://cyccb.org/ethics

Brophy-Herb, Kostelnik, M. J., & Stein, L. (2001). A developmental approach to teaching about ethics using the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct. Young Children, 56, 80-84.

Brophy-Herb, H., Stein, L. C. & Kostelnik, M. (1998). Ethical explorations: Highlighting ethics in teacher training. Paper presented at the NAEYC Annual Conference, Toronto, Ontario,Canada.

Curry, D. (2005). Training to promote ethical practice, CYC-Online, Journal of the International Child and Youth Care Network, 83.

Curry, D. (2021). Ethics training and supervision. In V.R. Mann-Feder (Ed.), Doing ethics in child and youth care: A North American reader. Toronto, Ontario: Canadian Scholars.

Curry, D. (2023). Ethical Football. Journal of Child and Youth Care Work, 29. https://doi.org/10.5195/jcycw.2023.448.

Curry, D., Wentz, R., Brittain, C. and McCarragher, T. (2004). The code of ethics for training and development professionals in human services: Case scenarios and training implications. Washington, D.C.: National Staff Development and Training Association of the American Public Human Services Association.

Feeney, S., Freeman, N.K., & Moravcik, E. (2000). Teaching the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct: Activity sourcebook. Washington, DC. National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Harding, C.G. (1985). Moral Dilemmas. Chicago: Precedent Publishing.

Malaucio, A.N., Pine, B.A., & Tracy, E.M. (2002). Social Work Practice with Families and Children. New York. Columbia University Press.

Mann-Feder, V. R. (2021). Introduction. In V.R. Mann-Feder (Ed.), Doing ethics in child and youth care: A North American reader. Toronto, Ontario: Canadian Scholars.

Mattingly, M (1995). Developing professional ethics for child and youth care work: Assuming responsibility for the quality of care. Child and Youth Care Forum, 24 (6), 379-391.

Mattingly, M., Stuart, C., & VanderVen, K. (2002). North American Certification Project (NACP) Competencies for professional child and youth work practitioners. Journal of Child and Youth Care Work, 17, 16-49.

Mattingly, M., Stuart, C., & VanderVen, K. (2010 revised). North American Certification Project (NACP) Competencies for professional child and youth work practitioners. Child and Youth Care Certification Board. Retrieved from https://cyccb.org/ethics

Ricks, F. (2003). Ethical dilemmas in child and youth care practice: Our code of ethics reflects our cultural values. CYC-Online, 58. Retrieved from

https://www.cyc-net.org/cyc-online/cycol-1103-ricks.html

Downloads

Published

2025-10-22

How to Cite

Faisel Jajah , M. T., Curry, D., & Walker, K. (2025). “Doing Ethics” in Child and Youth Care Practice. Journal of Child and Youth Care Work, 31. https://doi.org/10.5195/jcycw.2025.474

Issue

Vol. 31 (2025): Special Ethics Edition

Section

Special Features

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Mabruka Titiaka Faisel Jajah , Dale Curry, Kathleen Walker

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.
  9. The Author agrees to digitally sign the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work.