Child & Youth Care Ethics: ‘Doing' Ethics in Daily Practice

Ethics are the compass that guides daily professional practice. They are also essential to credentialing and recognition of child and youth care (CYC) in the community. Every day, practitioners use the Standards for Practice of North American Child and Youth Care Professionals ethics code to inform decision-making and address the complexities of their practice.
This training is useful to both people entering the field and more advanced practitioners who may not have completed ethics training based on this code. The workshop begins with discussion of foundational ideas about what an ethics code is. It then uses a case development approach to help participants apply the code to realistic practice scenarios to explore the process of ‘doing’ ethics to arrive at approaches that reflect thoughtful ethical practices.  
The training is designed for child and youth care practitioners from any practice setting. Its contents are helpful for workers preparing for certification at any level, and others who seek to better understand the process of ethical decision making and applying a code that is specific to CYC practice.
The training can be completed in sections over a period of time. All of the sections are followed by test-your-learning questions or practice opportunities to allow students to apply their learning and confirm mastery of the content. There are several handouts that are downloaded and printed before beginning the workshop.  

Learning Objectives: 
  • Understand basic ideas about what a code of ethics is, including:
    • Ethics as a fundamental building block of a profession
    • Evolution of the Standard for Practice of North American CYC Professionals
    • What ethics ARE and ARE NOT
    • Function of ethics
    • Structure of the Ethics Code
    • Ethics as Positive Practice
  • Learn to apply the Standards for Practice of North American CYC Professionals to ‘real life’ practice scenarios using a case development approach to practice the process of ‘doing ethics.’
CYC Certification Competency Domain: 
Professionalism
2.5 Class Hours

Created by

Frank Eckles, BA, CYC-P

Frank Eckles splits his time between his role as past president of the national Child and Youth Care Certification Board and facilitating growth for the hundreds of professionals who engage in learning programs offered by the Academy for Competent Youth Work. Frank is the Academy’s executive director and author of the Child and Youth Care: Foundations Course and co-author of Youth Thrive: Protective and Promotive Factors for Healthy Development. He is also a contributing editor to Families Thrive: Protective and Promotive Factors to Enhance THRIVING for all our Children, Youth, & Families.

Frank was a member of the International Leadership Coalition for Professional Child and Youth Care, the organization that created the CYC code of ethics. Although he did not serve on the committee that created the original code, he served on the Ethics Review Committees of ACYCP in 2017 and 2022 that revised the code. In 2020, Frank was a contributing author to Dr. Varda Mann-Feder’s book Doing Ethics in Child and Youth Care.

Frank spent most of his career working with young people in treatment settings. He has served as a direct practitioner, supervisor, administrator, trainer, researcher, and educator. He continues to work with youth as a facilitator of outdoor adventure activities and promotes recognition for the critical role that CYC practice plays in our global community at any opportunity that presents.

He currently serves on the boards of Global Support for Kids USA and the CYC Certification Board (CYCCB). He is a past board member of the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice (ACYCP) and Texas Youth and Child Care Worker Association (TYCCWA).


Frank became a Fellow of the National Center for Innovation and Excellence in 2014. Frank is the recipient of the National Staff Development and Training Association’s 2013 Career Achievement Award. In 2009 he received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Academy of Child and Youth Care Professionals. He received the President’s Award for “special achievement in the field of child and youth care” from the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice in 2006 and 2017. Frank received the Together We Can Award from National Safe Place Network in 2022.

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