Child Life Specialist

**Job Description**:
As part of the Maternal Child and Youth and Surgery Programs the Child Life Specialist contributes to excellence in paediatric care by promoting optimum development of children, adolescents and families. The Child Life Specialist promotes effective coping through play, preparation, education, and self-expression activities. They provide emotional support for families and support to encourage optimum development of children facing a broad range of challenging experiences, particularly those related to healthcare and hospitalization. Child Life Specialists also provide information, support and guidance to parents, siblings, and other family members.

In consultation with the health care team the Child Life Specialist will provide observations, developmental education, procedural preparation and support as well as therapeutic interactions and activities that offer emotional support and developmentally appropriate education for children or adolescents related to their needs; provide a variety of goal-directed play programs and opportunities; provide a variety of tools to help distract the patient and reduce anxiety, either through images, tools or methods.

**Education/Requirements**:

- Bachelor’s degree in child development, Child and Family Studies, Psychology or related field.
- Current certification with the Association of Child Life Professionals

**Experience**:
Minimum one (2) years recent related experience working with children, youth, and families in a health care environment.

**Competencies**:

- Demonstrated clinical expertise in children’s development, planning and interventions for children, adolescents, and their families.
- Demonstrated ability to provide formal and informal education to health care team regarding the Child Life role, the psychosocial needs of children/adolescents in health care crisis situations and the services provided to address these needs
- Ability to provide teaching, specific to the population served, including psychological preparation for potentially stressful experiences with infants, children, youth and families
- Demonstrated flexibility and the ability to provide interventions on an urgent basis.
- Excellent oral, interpersonal, and written communication skills
- Demonstrates ability in problem solving, analytical skills and creative thinking.
- Demonstrates excellent organizational and conflict management.
- Commitment to standards of excellence and the ability to participate in quality improvement initiatives/programs.
- Ability to work effectively and collaboratively as a member of an interdisciplinary team and independently.
- Demonstrated practice and commitment to the principles of patient and family centered care
- Self-motivated with a demonstrated ability to multi task, problem solve and prioritize workload with proven critical and creative thinking skills.

**Responsibilities**:

- Plan and implement a range of developmentally appropriate interventions to promote effective coping and optimum development. 
- Provide education and support to paediatric healthcare teams regarding the implementation and maintenance of child-friendly environments and developmentally appropriate care. 
- Support patient adaptation to the hospital environment and an understanding of medical experiences by providing therapeutic play and healthcare play opportunities. 
- Prepare children, youth, and families cognitively and emotionally for medical and surgical procedures through in-person and virtual programming. Provide procedural support and accompany patients in the Operating Room and diagnostic testing. 
- Evaluate and integrate research into practice, and provide knowledge translation resources for staff, physicians, volunteers, and families.
- Develop and maintain policies and procedures for the Child Life Program, and review and adjust as needed. 
- Observe, document, and report relevant information relating to patients as it pertains to Child Life services, and work in collaboration with the family and healthcare team to support the patient's plan of care. Participate and contribute to inter-professional committees that impact paediatric health-related practice.
- The Child Life Specialist will be responsible for the overall planning and co-ordination of the Child Life Services Program designed to meet the needs of all paediatric patients and families. The primary goal is the development of programs and services that focus on in-patient and outpatient needs and provide and promote community linkages and support.
- The Child Life Specialist will support the use of volunteers to help promote meeting the needs of the Pediatric population,
- The Child Life Specialist complies with the Occupational Health and Safety Standards for the hospital and is proactive in promoting a safe work environment. The incumbent is responsible for delivery of care consistent with the vision and values of the hospital and the standards of r