Values and Ethics in Child and Youth Care Practice

Abstract

SUMMARY The implications of the practitioner's personal values are explored in relation to the professional issues of child and youth care practice. Values are inevitably a component of decision-making and therefore are integrally connected to ethics in the field. The prevalence of subjectivity over objectivity is emphasized in relation to in-the-moment decision-making for practitioners. This results in an elevated importance for the process of critical reflection with respect to personal values. The ethics of child and youth care practice are explored from both systemic and in-the-moment perspectives. The role of codes of ethics is explored as well as ethics in relation to self care and professional development, everyday preparation and practice and ethics in relation to team dynamics and functioning.