Practice placements: A cornerstone for child and youth care training

The article begins with a definition of what is understood as child and youth care from an Irish perspective. At present, child and youth care is at a crossroads in terms of its overall development. The area of training for child and youth care practitioners is seen as being one of the major cornerstones in the professionalization of child and youth care, and the practice placement is a vital component of this training. A model is presented to help understand the issues facing the student, the service provider, and the training institutes both prior to placement and during the actual duration of the practice placement itself.