A Search for Synergy: The Child and Youth Care Educated Child Protection Worker

The field of child protection has a longstanding familiarity with the field of Social Work. However, in British Columbias Ministry for Children and Family Development the ranks of Child Protection Workers are swelling with professionals who have been educated in Child and Youth Care. Using the authors personal experience, this article outlines the differences between Social Work and Child and Youth Care perspectives and further explores two of the many roles MCFD workers can assume within the MCFD. The article then offers insight to which role is accommodating of CYC hallmarks and which is not. The discussion then concludes with an examination of how CYC workers in the MCFD can advocate for the CYC perspective and profession within a Social Work dominated environment.