The ultimate aim of this inquiry is to expand understandings of what it can mean to engage meaningfully with children, youth, and families and the systems designed to support them, in context. By widening our gaze to include the discursive, political, and other dimensions of lived experiences, practitioners and policy makers may be able to engage in practices that prioritize the wellbeing of all community members, recognizing social justice as central to this development. Methodologically, the challenge has been to work emergently, in line with social constructionist and postmodern understandings of social reality in which conditions are always in flux. Since there has been a call from qualitative researchers to make visible more ‘messy texts’ through which decision making processes can be made transparent, this document tracks the course of the study from beginning to end. By making explicit the methodological decisions as they are made, and contextualizing these decisions within not only the academic literature and data but also within personal and political realities, the author aims to demonstrate an ontological approach to learning and change. By experiencing research not only as product (findings), but also process (ways of engaging), the researcher highlights the transformative potential of relating differently with(in) one’s inquiry. The five-part exploration itself begins by unpacking dominant discourses of both struggles and support, which are becoming increasingly individualized due to a number of contextual realities. It then explores relational theories of subjectivity as well as theories of multiplicity, in an effort to look at other – albeit often concealed – dimensions of experience. By taking these theories and the multitude of practices they inform into consideration, possibilities for other ways of engaging in human service practices and policy development become intelligible. However, even when relational processes are acknowledged, avenues for action are significantly constrained through power relations. Deliberately incorporating notions of nomadism, non-unitary subjectivity, situatedness, and diversity into our discourses and practices can function politically in that they can provide opportunities for us to embrace and enact new narratives and ways of being. These in turn open space in which different kinds of meaningful social engagement can occur. In the pursuit of more just ways of being, deliberately attending to multiple stories can thus contribute to shifts in practice and policy that are responsive to what was, what is, and what may be possible. Drawing from existing empirical research as well as personal narratives shared by community members and policy makers, this dissertation argues that by blurring lines between self and other, contextualizing practices, understanding change as ontological, reconceptualising power, and recognizing justice as an ongoing and shared responsibility, we might collectively access and mobilize fruitful possibilities that are often obscured. / Graduate

This study presents a critical analysis of ethics in child and youth care (CYC) and a posthumanist-inspired approach to sustainable ethics in line with CYC’s commitment to do ethics. The study constructs the problem of the all-too-humanist-ethical-CYC-body and engages in a rhizodiffractive ethical-political experiment to (re)think/(re)view/(re)write how we come to practice ethics in CYC. Inspired by a posthumanist ontoepistemology, I employ Deleuze and Guattari’s concepts of nomadism and becoming as tools to interfere with the current ethical framework in North American CYC. In global, neoliberal times, CYC needs an ethics that focuses, not just on dominant discourses that guide ethical conduct and decision making, but on ethical-bodies-becoming through the unique entanglements of every ethical encounter. What this body of work exposed for the ethical-CYC-practitioner is that taking a stand – one that challenges dominant one-way ethical models for practice – is a necessary precondition for living in global neoliberal times. / Graduate

Research shows that in Canada, there is an overrepresentation of minoritized/ marginalized children and youth living in residential care settings. These youth face structural barriers such as poverty, racialization, and gendered and sexual discrimination (among others) which result in their exclusion from mainstream notions of wellbeing and success, and their positioning as requiring professional help (Lavergn, Dufour, Trocme, & Larrivee, 2008). Literature on the topic of residential care demonstrates however that interventions facilitated in residential programs often fail to implicate social inequities as contributing factors to the need for professional involvement, or address these factors in the therapeutic context. Instead, interventions tend to focus on socio-psychological and behavioural functioning, with a desire to assist young people in “catching up” to a dominant standard of living that is taken for granted as “normal” and beneficial for them (Harley, Jolivette, McCormick, & Tice, 2002). It is unclear how these tensions are reconciled by CYC practitioners. By critically analyzing the discourses that inform “diversity” in CYC practice, this exploratory study investigates how practitioners who work in residential settings conceptualize and negotiate these contradictory representations and expectations of youth in care. The study is grounded in a transtheoretical framework drawn from feminist/post structural (Butler, 1990; Davies, 2000; Fendler, 2001; Foucault, 1977;1979), Indigenous and post-colonial (McIntosh, 1998; Tuhiwai Smith, 1999) and queer theories (Sedgwick, 1990; Marinucci, 2010) to position diversity within an intersectional analysis (Burman, 2003; 2004; Chantler, 2004; 2005). The study contributes to current understandings within the field of CYC about methods of care in relation to children/youth of diverse and/or marginalized backgrounds in residential care settings. / Graduate

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Despite remarkable strides being made in legislation in South Africa, the country still faces immense challenges which directly impact on the care and protection of its children. Many children are removed from their families and placed into alternative care because of high risk factors in the family and community. However, because of the socioeconomic situations of families, many of these children will not be able to return to their family. It is, therefore, essential that in the residential care programme, efforts are directed towards permanency planning for each child in order to ensure long term placement in a family. The host parent programme which has been introduced at Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCCs) acts as a precursor to foster-care placements. Following on this, host parents provide the child in need of care with opportunities to interact and form positive relationships with adult caregivers. This study has explored and described, by means of qualitative research, the experiences of host parents who accommodated children in need of care. Nine host parents were purposively selected from three participating CYCCs in Athlone, Cape Town. Data was collected by means of semi-structured individual interviews. The data was analysed according to the steps by Tesch in Creswell (2009). The findings suggest that host parents are instrumental to those children who cannot return to their natural families. The host parents’ interaction with the CYCC was both positive and negative at times. Recommendations and guidelines in order to develop and improve existing hosting programmes at CYCC’s are provided. / South Africa

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / A concentration about issues important to the subpopulation of children in conflict with the law has received much more attention over the past few years. It is a known fact that within all male environments the likelihood of violence and especially sexual violence is exponential. Male on male rape as a topic has only received greater exposure over the last decade. Male on male rape within the context of the child and youth care context has however been reported, recorded and written about in academia to a far lesser degree.Within this research study it was found that within the child and youth care context oppressive practices of male on male rape and exploitation were rife. Life is marred by intra-personal, inter-personal and institutional violence. A hierarchy based on the ability to resort to violence and gender mitigated all experiences within this context.Through these experiences children came to understand the phenomenon of male on male rape.This research study was exploratory in nature and aimed to gain a deeper understanding of how children within this context understood and spoke about male on male rape.This endeavour was qualitative in approach and utilised social constructionism and the theory of oppression to understand the discourses produced by participants. The participants were males with age ranging from 16 to 18 years. An interview was the framework within which the phenomenon of male on male rape was discusses. The information gained from participants was managed through the use of discourse analysis. The highest ethical standards were upheld during the research process.In conclusion three main discourses were utilised by participants to make sense of the phenomenon of male on male rape. These discourses were the discourse of violence,the discourse of gang culture and the discourse of gender. These discourses intersected and predominantly functioned to hinder the reporting and likelihood of children that were sexually assaulted acquiring assistance.

Magister Artium (Child and Family Studies) - MA(CFS) / Child and Youth Care Workers employed in residential Child and Youth Care Centres are often challenged by the behaviour of children in their care. The goal of the study was therefore to explore and describe the challenges faced by Child and Youth Care Workers with regard to the discipline of children with challenging behaviour in Child and Youth Care Centres. A qualitative research approach employing explorative, descriptive and contextual designs were followed. Participants were selected by means of purposive sampling from four Child and Youth Care Centres from four different metropoles in the Cape Peninsula. Data was collected by means of focus groups with the aid of an interview schedule. The interviews were be recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data was analysed according to Tesch (in Creswell, 2003) eight steps of data analysis. Ethical considerations such as informed consent, confidentiality and debriefing were adhered to. The findings of the study pointed inter alia to the fact that CYCWs are the first line disciplinarians that they need more support with regards to the discipline of children from colleagues, management and social workers. Multi-disciplinary in CYCCs teams tend to be ineffective and they experience disempowerment from the management and social workers. In addition, they are challenged by the behaviour of children in their care, such as truancy, stealing, absconding, aggressiveness, inappropriate sexual behaviour, development problems. Recommendations for all the stakeholders in the field of CYC were made to improve service delivery.

Magister Artium (Child and Family Studies) - MA(CFS) / In South Africa family foster care is the first option of alternative care for children removed from their biological parents, adoptive parents or guardians, due to neglect, abuse or abandonment. Similar to international trends, South Africa prioritises family foster care. However, when the foster care placement disintegrates, children are generally placed in child and youth care centres (CYCCs) in accordance with the South African Children’s Act 38 of 2005. This qualitative study aims to explain the adverse childhood experiences of adults regarding their transition from foster care to CYCCs, using family systems theory (FST) to contextualise these accounts. The population for this study was adults living in Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB), who were formerly moved to CYCCs after the break down of their family foster care placements.

The term care has been part of the CYC title since the University of Victoria School of Child and Youth Care (CYC) opened in the 1970’s, making care a central aspect of CYC’s public and professional identity. The purpose of this research is to explore how care is conceptualized in Foundations of Child and Youth Care Practice; a Canadian textbook widely used in CYC postsecondary education programs. This text introduces future CYC practitioners to important aspects of CYC praxis, such as care. In this research I use the Trace method developed by Selma Sevenhuijsen (2004) to analyze the text. In this analysis, feminist ethics of care acts both as a lens for analyzing care and as a framework for renewing ways of thinking about and doing care in CYC. Key findings show that conceptualizations of care in the text are deeply influenced by neoliberal ‘justice’ frameworks leading to care being framed as always ‘good’ and understood as apolitical, simple and instrumental. This reveals a lack of theorizing about care in the text and suggests that understandings of care are taken for granted and devalued. These conceptualizations of care cannot account for the complexities of the care relationship and do not adequately reflect the lived experience of young people and families. This research advocates for engagement with feminist ethics of care as a starting point for re-imagining care in CYC and offers suggestions for what this might look like. / Graduate

Child and youth care workers (CYCWs) provide intervention and support to children and youth in child and youth care centres (CYCCs) The purpose of this study was to investigate CYCWs’ knowledge and perceptions of attachment difficulties of children residing in CYCCs and to provide suggestions for social work support. The study adopted the Attachment Theory and Circle of Courage Theory. Drawing on qualitative methodology, 16 participants employed in CYCCs in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan region, South Africa were purposively selected for in-depth, qualitative interviews. The eight-step data analysis method by Tesch (in Creswell, 2014:198) was used. To ensure trustworthiness of the findings, the researcher mainly used Guba’s model cited in Krefting (1990:214–222).The researcher adhered to prescribed ethical considerations. The study recommended that child and youth care as a profession should be recognised and supported to ensure quality services to children with attachment difficulties living in CYCCs. / Social Work

This study explores the lived experiences of using tactile objects in Child and Youth Care (CYC) Practitioners’ practice. This thesis includes the definition and scope of tactile objects, explores what being a CYC Practitioner means, describes the many roles that CYC Practitioners hold, and shares what CYC Practitioners articulate about the use of tactile objects in their office space and environment. This study focused on the lived experiences of CYC Practitioners who work with clients and provide or utilize tactile objects in their practice. By interpreting the experiences, co-constructed themes identified how tactile objects are used, what beliefs guide their use, feelings that come up in use, and ideas about outcomes from their use, along with some emerging observations. The results from this study provide a case for increased education for CYC Practitioners, better tools for them and their clients to have access to and will help fill the gap in CYC literature about experiences of tactile objects in practice. / Graduate / 2023-08-23