Books
Supervision in Child and Youth Care Practice
Editors: Grant Charles, James Freeman & Thom Garfat
Publisher: CYC-Net Press
Published: 2026 (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 978-1-7764578-9-2
Pages: 143
Supervision isn’t meant to live inside an isolated hour on the calendar. This book reframes it as a relational practice of “being with” staff, shaping how they think and respond in the moments that matter.
It’s a call to lead with more presence, not more paperwork. To model the curiosity, steadiness, and connection we want our teams to embody. Because what staff experience from their supervisors is what they pass on in the care young people and families receive.
Chapters
Mattering: The Core of Supervision
Grant Charles and Thom Garfat
Relational Supervision: Getting Out of Your Office and Leading with Intention and Connection
Michelle Holbrook, Andraya MacMillan, Mairi Macintyre and Ron Smith
Twenty‑Nine Ways of Connecting Child and Youth Practitioner and Supervisory Practice
Grant Charles
The Relationship Boundaries that Control Supervision
Jack Phelan
A Daily Life Events Approach to Relational Child and Youth Care Supervision
Thom Garfat, Leon Fulcher and James Freeman
Individual Developmental Plans and a Relational Child and Youth Care Supervision Cycle
Thom Garfat and Grant Charles
Supervision as an Act of Service
James Freeman and Kelsie Tatum Martinez
Unspoken Realities of Becoming a New Supervisor
James Freeman and Toné Reyes
Developing Reflective Supervision Training: A Case Study
Virginia Hervey and Pennie Sibbald
Humour in Supervision?
John Digney
External Models of Supervision
Kiaras Gharabaghi
Caring To Connect: Nurturing Hopeful, Healing Relationships with Young People
Editor: James Freeman
Publisher: CYC-Net Press
Published: 2022
ISBN: 978-1-7764030-0-4
Pages: 118
Caring to Connect is a reminder that the heart of this work lives in the small, human moments we share with young people. It’s about choosing to show up with warmth, steadiness, and genuine interest, letting young people know that their stories matter and that someone is truly with them.
It lifts up the beauty and weight of childhood and adolescence, and how much it means for a young person to feel seen, safe, and valued. The guidance is gentle and practical, rooted in real practice: honoring rights, responding to hurt with care, and creating relationships that help young people grow into themselves with more confidence and hope.
At its core, it’s an invitation to slow down, pay attention, and nurture the small places where hope can take root again.
This book draws from James Freeman’s tenure as editor of the monthly journal CYC‑Online (issues 200–250), where practitioners from around the world share their everyday wisdom about what it means to care well. Includes a study guide for personal or group reflection.
Chapters
Canaries in the Coal Mine
Hans Skott-Myhre
Searching for Hope
Heather Sago & Aurrora De Monte
Space to Tell Their Story
Thom Garfat
Child Rights and Human Tragedy
Tara Collins
Wounded Healers
Maxwell Smart & John Digney
Messages of Love and Connection
Jack Phelan
Caring for One Another
Kiaras Gharabaghi
Rituals of Encounter that Guarantee Cultural Safety
Leon Fulcher
Trauma and Calming Co-Regulation
Howard Bath
Relational Repair and Shame
Laura Steckley
The Power of Feeling Safe
Mark Freado
Trauma-Informed Emotional Warmth in Public Care
Colin Maginn
Unsuspected Influences Between Children and Support Staff
Werner van der Westhuizen
Connecting Across the Generations
Mark Smith
Measuring the Qualities of a Relationship
Doug Magnuson, Priscilla Healey, Ashleigh Martinflatt and Jenny McGrath
A Manifesto of Hope
Gerry Fewster