Child, Youth, and Family Studies

ufv.ca/cyfs

Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care degree

This Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care provides a degree opportunity for students working towards a range of human service disciplines. The CYC program is a four-year, 120-credit program for working professionals, with core course offerings scheduled for afternoons and evenings. The program of study includes elective courses along with possible specializations. Students without a background in the human services field may apply to the program. Most child and youth care practitioners are balancing agency, family, personal, and professional needs as they pursue education in an increasingly demanding and complex field.

Child and youth care is an expanding field. It crosses a wide range of work settings and areas of practice, including regular and alternative school programs, child protection and guardianship work in the provincial government, family support, child life/hospital-based programs, residential/group home programs, youth justice/probation programs, special needs foster care, parent/counsellor resources, mental health, early intervention and child development centres, and related community agencies. The breadth of the child and youth care field requires a primary curriculum focus on development and social competence for therapeutic intervention through relationships.

This program is designed in response to increasing demand from employers for skilled practitioners who are able to work in an interdisciplinary and collaborative way. Direct care practitioners, supervisors, managers, and trainers in these programs bring a diverse set of backgrounds and credentials to their positions. Increasingly, an undergraduate degree is sought by employers for the more desirable employment opportunities in areas of the field. This has led to a growing number of practitioners in line supervision and management positions to invest in professional education by completing this degree. The BA in Child and Youth Care is designed to offer credit-based professional education for practitioners seeking employment in human service agencies who work with children, youth, and families.

Entrance requirements

All applicants must:

1. Undergo an initial security clearance (for practicum) and further checks as required. (Please do not submit until requested.)
2. Provide a statement from a physician of good physical and mental health. (Please do not submit until requested.)
3. Attend an orientation prior to admission.
4. Be interviewed as requested.
5. Meet the Degree/diploma level English language proficiency requirement. For details on how this requirement may be met, see the English language proficiency requirement section of the calendar.

Note: Additional screening such as a TB screen and flu shot may be required for some practicum placements.

Option 1: High School (for student with high school graduation only)

To be eligible for admission to the first year of the UFV CYC BA program, students must have:

• B.C. secondary school graduation or equivalent; or
• A minimum of a C+ in English 12 (see Note).

  Note: English 12 equivalent courses include English 12 First Peoples, English Literature 12, AP English, and IB English A (standard level or higher level).

Option 2: University Entrance (for students who have attended some post-secondary school)

1. Completion of a minimum of nine (9) UFV or transferrable post-secondary credits with a minimum 2.33 GPA (C+ average) based on all credits attempted.
2. Prerequisites for or completion of six credits of first year English and/or Communications at a C+ or higher (combined average).

Option 3: Diploma graduates

1. A diploma in a related human service program with a GPA of at least 3.00 may qualify for a block credit of 60 credits for a diploma.
2. Prerequisites for or completion of six credits of first year English and/or Communications at a C+ or higher (combined average).

Students who do not meet these requirements might consider Qualifying Studies.

When to apply

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis throughout the year for entrance to the Fall semester only. Qualified applicants are considered for the next intake in which there is space. Normally this decision is made in April for the following September. If space permits, applications received after March 31st will be considered for a September start. See Continuous application process for more information.

How to apply

1. Apply online at ufv.ca/admissions/apply.

   Additional documents required for a complete application:

   • Letter of intent outlining past experience and career objectives.
   • An official sealed transcript from every post-secondary institution attended, showing course grade and achievement. To be considered official, transcripts must be sent directly to UFV from the originating institution; see the Transfer Credit section for details.

   • Questionnaire.
   • Resume.
   • Two reference letters (volunteer or work).

2. Orientation: Students intending to apply to the CYC program are normally required to attend an orientation prior to admission. Once the application is complete, students will be informed of the orientation date and time.
3. Applicants will be advised of an admission decision and provided with registration information. A deposit is required prior to registration (see the Fees and Other Costs section). This money will be applied toward tuition fees.

Basis for admission decision

Admission will be on a competitive basis. Meeting the minimal requirements does not guarantee admission.

The CYC field prepares people to work with vulnerable populations. To ensure that the strongest, most suitable candidates are selected, points are awarded for performance on seven criteria.

Students will be ranked based on the points earned for the criteria listed below:

1. Academic history/GPA (up to 30 points for those who have attended post-secondary)
2. Work experience (up to 20 points)
3. Volunteer experience (up to 15 points)
4. Letters of reference (up to 10 points)
5. Resume (up to 5 points)
6. Letter of intent (up to 15 points)
7. Attendance at an orientation session (up to 5 points)

Fees and additional costs

See the Fees and Other Costs section.

Location

All CYC courses are offered on the Abbotsford campus of UFV. There are occasional field trips off of campus, described in individual course outlines.

Program requirements

The program requires the completion of 120 credits, including at least 48 upper-level credits.

Program outline

Lower-level core CYC courses: 39 credits

Upper-level core CYC courses: 45 credits

Required breadth courses: 6 credits

Relevant electives: 30 credits

Elective CYC courses

Child Protection specialization

Program requirements

1. All lower-level and upper-level core CYC courses in the BA in CYC program, including CYC 410A and CYC 410B in a Child Protection field site.
2. SOWK 312 and SOWK 412.
3. Required breadth courses in the BA in CYC program.
4. Eight relevant elective courses as defined for the BA in CYC program.

Students interested in the Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care Child Protection specialization should be aware of the following:

• This practicum is competitive.
• A series of interviews will be conducted prior to acceptance and placement.
• Student often need to extend this practicum beyond 300 hours in order to complete the MCFD Child Protection competencies.
• Students must be able to travel, as they may not be placed in their community of residence.

Students who have completed the Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care can be recognized for additional work to meet the Child Protection specialization. Please see the Certificate in Extended Studies in Child and Youth Care section below for more information.

Child Life stream

Students completing the Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care may be interested in becoming a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS). This professional certification is offered only by the Association of Child Life Professionals.

This stream includes a 480-hour practicum, CYC 411. The practicum is highly competitive and an interview will be conducted prior to placement. Students may need to apply several times or travel to a different area to secure a practicum placement.

Please note that there are further requirements for certification, and in 2020 additional course work plus a Master’s degree will also be required. Please see childlife.org for more details about CCLS requirements.

Program regulations

The program requires the completion of 120 credits with a minimum grade point average of 2.33. At least 48 of these credits must be upper level (300- or 400-level courses). The 120 credits must be completed within a maximum of 10 academic years.

Practica requirements: CYC 310 and CYC 410

The field experience gained in practica is an integral part of the CYC degree. These two courses are core to the program, and completion at a C+ level or higher is required for graduation. All students must be willing to undergo an initial security (criminal record) clearance and further checks as may be required for the individual course or practicum agencies. Students must also be willing to provide a statement from a physician as evidence of good physical and mental health as may be required in individual courses or practicum agencies.

A criminal record check is required prior to practicum placement. The cost and submission of this is the responsibility of the student. A student will not normally be able to begin a practicum until the criminal record check clearance is returned.

The department head reserves the right to approve any agency or institution that provides placements for student practica, and to change any placement assigned to a student. Students are placed in practicum settings in accordance with their professional background and current learning needs. Students have the right to be informed in writing of the reasons for any change in placement. Students may be required to withdraw from a practicum course if none of the available practicum agencies will accept them.

Students are required to provide their own transportation to and from practicum sites.

Students will complete two practica while in the program, a minimum of 300 hours each. There are a variety of excellent sites in the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland available to students. The CYC faculty have links to many agencies and organizations in the child and youth care field. Different sites have different requirements regarding schedules and amount of time students will need to spend there, in order to receive the best learning and experience. If students are currently working in a full time job, they may need to adjust their schedules or take time off from their jobs to meet the demands of practica.

Program continuance

To graduate, the students must have an overall grade of C+ or higher in all CYC core courses and the English or Communication courses.

Students are required to maintain a cumulative GPA (CGPA) and semester GPA of C+ (2.33) or higher. Students who fail to meet the required semester and/or cumulative GPA will be placed on program warning. Students will be expected to repeat any core course if they received lower than a C+ grade. If students fail to meet the GPA requirements after being placed on program warning, they may be withdrawn from the program.

Students receiving a program warning for low grades or unacceptable behaviour will not normally be permitted to participate in practicum or continue in the program until the unacceptable grades or behaviours have been rectified.

Undergraduate continuance

Students enrolled in undergraduate courses (courses numbered 100 or above) must maintain an undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 2.00 to remain enrolled in Good Academic Standing at UFV. Students in Good Academic Standing will have no registration limits placed on them. Failure to meet the minimum CGPA requirement will result in restrictions on registration and may eventually lead to academic suspension from undergraduate studies at UFV. Students on Academic Warning or Academic Probation are limited to registering in 10 credits. For further details, see the Academic standing and undergraduate continuance section of the academic calendar. Academic standing is governed by UFV’s Undergraduate Continuance policy (92).

Course repetition

Students may not register for a course more than twice. Where a course has been repeated, only the higher grade will be counted in the GPA calculation.

Readmission

Students who have not attended UFV in greater than five semesters will be required to reapply to the program. They can be admitted in the next semester, if space permits. Please see UFV’s Undergraduate Continuance policy (92).

Residency

In order to earn a UFV degree a student must normally complete at least 25% of the total and 25% of upper-level credits necessary for the degree at UFV.

Distance courses

Student who wish to pursue the degree more quickly than the yearly offerings at UFV allows may arrange to take B.C. university distance education courses on an individual basis, after obtaining permission from the department head.

Total transfer and course challenge credits may not exceed 90 credits and all CYC requirements must be met.

Graduation requirements

All degree candidates must complete every core course at a C+ level or higher and maintain a Program GPA of 2.33. They must submit the Request to Graduate form to the Office of the Registrar with the appropriate fees by April 1 in their year of graduation.

Note that a CGPA of 2.00 is required, calculated over all courses taken at UFV that are used to meet the program requirements.

Students must apply for graduation by completing the Graduation Request form available at ufv.ca/admissions, or from the Office of the Registrar. This should be done in the first month of the final semester. The final deadline for students who wish to attend the June Convocation ceremony is April 1 of each year, with all program requirements completed by the Winter semester grade deadline (see Important Registration Dates) of each year. This includes any transfer credits from other institutions. Students who enrol in the summer semester to complete their program will qualify for the following year’s graduation ceremony.

Maximum length of time to complete the program

The 120 credits of this degree must be completed within a maximum of 10 academic years inclusively.

Certificate in Extended Studies in Child and Youth Care: Child Protection specialization

Students who have completed the Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care can be recognized for additional work to meet the Child Protection specialization. The credential awarded is a Certificate in Extended Studies in Child and Youth Care: Child Protection specialization.

Entrance requirements

To be admitted students must have completed a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care from UFV or other similar recognized university program (University of Victoria, Vancouver Island University, or Douglas College).

Applicants must meet the Degree/diploma level English language proficiency requirement. For details on how this requirement may be met, see the English language proficiency requirement section of the calendar.

The department may interview applicants to assess their particular strengths and needs. Admission will be granted on the basis of the Child, Youth, and Family Studies department's ability to meet the student's needs. The number of applicants accepted to the program may be restricted.

Program requirements

Students must complete the following courses with a GPA of at least 2.33 on all courses. The department will set a detailed program plan for each student.

Required courses

Course listings

For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.