Deb Getz

I have dedicated my career to supporting youth and training the professionals who work with them. My teaching philosophy centers on building trust and respect among students and between students and instructors, because I believe students have to not be afraid of me while also maintaining positive relationships that support them through their collegiate education. The entire field of child and youth care practice is built on relationships, so I use my experience and knowledge about building positive relationships with youth - I basically do youth work with college students, which opens the door for high-quality educational experiences. For the past 15 years, I have been very involved at the local, national, and international level in educating individuals about child sexual exploitation and how to respond. I have come to understand that it's about building a culture where we're not afraid to talk about exploitation, where folks feel trusted and respected enough to identify that they may have been exploited. My primary focus is helping people understand how to identify, respond, and report - because you can't serve youth if they're afraid to trust you because they've been exploited. As president of the Child and Youth Care Certification Board, I'm proud that we worked hard to get the field officially identified by the U.S. Department of Labor only in the last 3 years. I believe humans who work with youth need more than a background check - they need significant competencies, skills, and knowledge, and child safety awareness is a key component of what we certify individuals on.