BUSI KHESWA | Child care workers are champions of society

This week marks Child and Youth Care Week. This is a week where we observe and acknowledge the work done by all in protecting and looking after vulnerable children in our society.

It is the time to recognise and celebrate the important work done by the child and youth care (CYC) workers. These professionals play a vital role in the lives of vulnerable children, by providing care and support to overcome challenges and reach their full potential.

This year’s celebrations are held under the theme “Celebrating Relational Child & Youth Care Practice: Around the World.”

This theme highlights the importance of the relationships that CYC workers build with the young individuals they serve, emphasising the impact of their work.

This  also acknowledges that CYC workers everywhere share a common goal: to provide nurturing, supportive and compassionate care to children and youth in need. It recognises the diversity of approaches and practices within the profession while underscoring the universal value of meaningful connections and relationships in promoting the well-being and development of young people.

According to Wikipedia, CYC is a profession which focuses on the developmental needs of children and families within the space and time of their daily lives. CYC is primarily a way of working with other practitioners and can be found in a variety of roles including direct care, private practice, educator, trainer, writer, supervisor, manager, researcher and more.

They are sometimes known as child and youth workers, child and youth counsellors, youth workers, or child and youth care workers. There are strong connections around the world between child and youth care.

In simple terms, these workers provide care that ensures that the most vulnerable children in CYC centres are always kept neat, live in clean and attractive buildings and facilities. They also provide a caring, stable, consistent and structured environment for children, to meet a child’s physical, emotional, social, spiritual, educational and cognitive growth. These centres are affectionately known as children’ s home.

CYC work has been a regulated social service profession in SA under the Social Service Professions Act 110 of 1978 since October 2014. Thus, no person is allowed to practise as a CYC worker or auxiliary CYC worker without being registered with the SA Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP).

CYC work is also registered as a professional designation with the SA Qualifications Authority.

Child protection, care and safety remains a priority for the Gauteng provincial government, thus ensuring that children in need of care and protection are placed in a safe environment. But as a department we also salute those that ensure that this is realised.

The work done by these caregivers is not getting enough recognition as they play a key role of mother to the vulnerable children, just like a hen that keeps a watch over her little ones around the clock.

As social development, we would like to say your work does not go unnoticed. We applaud CYC workers in our department’s institutions, including those in non-profit organisations and everywhere they practice.

These are champions in our CYC centres. They continue to be champions of hope in our schools and communities.

• Kheswa is a communicator in the department of social development in Gauteng