The development of the youth care workforce continues to be a critical issue in the U.S. After certification for child and youth care practitioners became available nationally in 2008, some states are now requiring credentialing. As the field evolves toward increasing the value of training and credentialing by using a unified set of competencies drawn from multiple practice environments, this workshop will explore the implications of these developments to administrators, supervisors, trainers, and youth care workers. It will offer approaches to increasing training value by aligning efforts with national trends and workforce needs.

Workshop objectives/takeaways:

• understand the connection between professional development (education/training) and credentialing;
• identify resources regarding youth care worker certification;
• determine specific ways to train and supervise youth care workers regarding specific competencies and create policies/procedures related to the competencies; and
• understand the current opportunities available to participate in the continual process of professional certification of youth care workers.

Presenters: Sister Madeleine Rybicki, director of training, Holy Family Institute and CYCCB; and Debbie Zwicky, chief operating officer, St. Rose Youth & Family Center and CYCCB