A reflexive model for ethical decision making in child and youth care

Situations with important and often complex ethical dimensions arise daily in child and youth care, the professional umbrella under which residential child care is located in some countries, including Canada, parts of the United States, South Africa, and Australia. Consideration of these ethical dimensions requires deliberation, that includes consideration of both internal and external factors, which can be difficult given that the situations involved often evoke intense feelings for the practitioner. This article presents a model for ethical decision making that is rooted in the core child and youth care values of reflexivity and relationality.