Child and youth care work - the motivations, personal perspectives, ideals and expectations of practitioners and policy-makers

Abstract

Child and youth care work is a newly recognised service deliverer in the field of social welfare.  QualitatiYe research was done to identify the motivations, personal perspectives, ideals and expectations of the practitioners in this occupation, as well as the unique contribution of child and youth care work to social welfare. The main characteristics distinguishing child and youth care work from other service deliverers in the field of social welfare are the fact that child and youth care workers work in the life space of children and of families with children, and the long hours they spend with the children. The expectations and personal perspectives of the child and youth care workers and the policy-makers regarding professionalisation, better working conditions and the formal training of child and youth care wprkers were determined. Although the personal perspectives, ideals and expectations of child-and youth care workers could be realised through the developed qualification, the impact of the professionalisation of child and youth care work has not been carefully thought through.