The Professionalisation of Child and Youth Care: Perspectives of Child and Youth Care Workers in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

The professionalisation of child and youth care (CYC) has long been an important milestone for the profession. This article will further add to the voices of child and youth care workers (CYCWs) about this process. It focuses on and explores the perspectives of CYCWs in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on the process of CYC professionalisation. The researchers conducted an in-depth qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 12 purposely selected CYCWs from different children’s homes in eThekwini. Their perspectives showed that there is still a lack of understanding of the concept and that there are aspects of CYC professionalisation that still have not been achieved while others have. The research findings revealed that the process of CYC professionalisation is important for the growth, status, and continuous stability of the CYC profession. The researchers concluded that the research findings highlighted will offer important insight for the stabilisation of the CYC profession.