Child Life Specialist

Join us in building a world of possibility Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital is Canada’s largest pediatric rehabilitation hospital, and a top 40 Canadian research hospital. Serving over 9,000 families annually in both inpatient and outpatient programs and services, Holland Bloorview is renowned for its expertise in partnering with clients and families to provide exceptional care and is the only organization to ever achieve 100 per cent in three successive quality surveys by Accreditation Canada.

Holland Bloorview’s vision is to support the most meaningful and healthy futures for all children, youth and families. We are an academic hospital, fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. All clinical staff are expected to contribute to the academic agenda through one or more of the following activities: supervising students, teaching, academic service, scholarship and research.

Holland Bloorview has won numerous awards including Greater Toronto's Top Employers, Canada's Top Employers for Young People and Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures. We offer an inspiring, inclusive, innovative, and collaborative work environment with competitive compensation and benefit packages and programs that support ongoing learning and professional growth.

**Position Summary**:
The **Certified Child Life Specialist** is responsible for the ongoing development, co-ordination and implementation of Child Life Services aimed at providing psychosocial care to children and families. Child Life Services will promote children and families’ coping and positive adjustment to illness and hospitalization through a variety of expressive mediums. Child Life Services will further heighten awareness of and sensitivity to the developmental and psychosocial needs of children and family members among staff, students, volunteers, and community professionals.

The Certified Child Life Specialist will be an integral member of our pediatric dental team specializing in providing care for children with disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and behavioral challenges. This role focuses on reducing anxiety, improving cooperation, and creating positive dental experiences through developmentally appropriate individualized preparation, support, and coping strategies.

This is a **temporary part-time (0.9 FTE)** contract position for 12 months, with the possibility of renewal.

**Key Responsibilities**:
**Direct Care**
- Provides therapeutic play opportunities and programming designed to reduce stress, help clients cope with illness and hospitalization, promote development, and foster independence, a positive self-esteem and a sense of mastery through a framework of client and family-centred care which is goal directed, evidence based and outcome oriented
- Supports and respects the client/family’s rights to make decisions based on their own values, beliefs and experiences; promotes and supports the physical, psychosocial and spiritual well being of clients and families
- Provides pre-appointment preparation using visual schedules, social stories, and desensitization techniques, and diversional activities and celebrations as appropriate
- Helps prepare clients for diagnostic, dental and medical/nursing procedures through medical play, demonstration, discussion and various expressive mediums in efforts to promote positive coping, adjustment and compliance with various hospital procedures and experiences
- Provides emotional support to clients during times of stress to include: measures of comfort; clarifying information; coping support during treatment; and post-procedure follow-up to support the resolution of feelings of fear, anxiety and pain
- Provides emotional support to clients, families, and significant others, and plans and implements activities which help to alleviate fears and anxieties regarding illness, hospitalization, and separation from family
- Observes and assesses clients’ psychosocial behaviour, coping, emotional adjustment, and parent/child relationship, etc., to determine plans for Child Life Services and/or interdisciplinary intervention and necessary referrals
- Collaborates with members of the interdisciplinary teams to plan and implement an individualized intervention program to: foster self-esteem and a sense of mastery; promote coping and enhance individual coping strategies; promote positive interpersonal relationships; prevent behavioural regression; promote optimal development and the achievement of developmental milestones
- Provides support, education and feedback to families regarding developmental and psychosocial needs, appropriate interventions, advocacy, and the ongoing development of positive parenting and coping strategies
- Collaborates with family members and the interdisciplinary team to assess the client’s needs, develop a plan of care, and evaluate this plan. Provides client and family-centred care which is goal directed, evidence based and outcome oriented
- Ensures that a plan of care addr