Nurturing Growth in Everyday Moments

Essential staff working directly with youth encounter numerous opportunities to support youth and families – and it’s so often in the seemingly simple, everyday moments a young person’s life can open up significant opportunities for growth and making progress toward their goals.

This session will guide participants through thinking about using everyday moments – in the midst of the day as it unfolds – as opportunities to make an impact. Emphasis will be on the ways in which direct care staff interact in both a planned and responsive way to demonstrate care, meet individual needs, and support healing.

Participants will be introduced to select characteristics of relational Child and Youth Care and discuss their application in the daily routines of working with youth. A basic framework for recognizing and identifying moments of opportunity will also be shared.

This session will highlight themes from two ACRC position papers: Trauma-Informed Practice: The Importance of Predictability in Residential Interventions (2020) and Redefining Residential: Creating Non-Coercive Environments (2013).