Child Life Specialist - Dental and Extensive Needs Service (ON, Toronto)

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital; Toronto; On-site; CAD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading pediatric rehabilitation hospital is seeking a Certified Child Life Specialist to coordinate and implement psychosocial care for children and families. This full-time role emphasizes therapeutic play and collaboration with healthcare teams to improve patient experiences, especially for those with disabilities. Candidates must have a relevant degree, certification eligibility, and experience in child healthcare settings.

Benefits

Competitive compensation

Professional growth opportunities

Inclusive work environment

Qualifications

• Two years of experience working with children and families.
• Minimum one year as a clinical Child Life Specialist in healthcare.
• English language communication skills required.

Responsibilities

• Provide emotional support to clients during stress.
• Develop and implement Child Life Services plans.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams for client care.

Skills

Therapeutic play

Client and family-centric care

Assessment of psychosocial behavior

Interpersonal communication

Education

University degree in Child Development or related field

Child Life coursework from endorsed program

Job description

Overview

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 health care/therapeutic services 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 in this position will be an integral member of our pediatric dental team and extensive needs service, 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 experiences through developmentally appropriate individualized preparation, support, and coping strategies.

This is a regular full-time (1.0 FTE) position.

Key Responsibilities

Direct Care

• Provides therapeutic play opportunities and programming designed to reduce stress, help clients cope with illness and health care services, 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 care 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 and health care services
• 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 addressing therapeutic, developmental and psychosocial needs is current for each client
• Documents ongoing assessment, interaction and evaluation of information in clients’ health record as appropriate
• Communicates with family members and external partners as appropriate to ensure continuity of developmental and therapeutic programming and care

Non-Direct Care

• Co-ordinates the operations and resources of Child Life Services i.e. play and intervention supplies, equipment, and facilities, etc.
• Maintains current and up-to-date statistical records of workload measures for Child Life Services and completes monthly workload reporting as required.
• Responsible for contributing to the ongoing development and evaluation of Child Life Service goals, objectives, safety standards and standards of practice for Child Life profession
• Provides orientation, training, supervision and evaluation of Child Life internship placements
• Provides in-services and educational experiences to students, staff and community agents regarding the psychosocial needs of children and adolescents in hospital with illness and/or disabilities
• Participates in Holland Bloorview's academic agenda (e.g. research, education) aimed at enhancing quality care for children and families as appropriate
• Maintains ongoing communication with Collaborative Practice Leader and reports to the Clinical Operations Manager
• Participates in quality improvement activities and supports the maintenance of a safe and healthy work environment for staff, clients and families

Qualifications

Education

• Completion of a university degree in a related field (e.g. Child Development, Psychology, Family Studies & Human Development, Child Life) required
• Completion of mandatory coursework in Child Life from an undergraduate or graduate program endorsed by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) required

Certification/Licenses

• Hold Child Life Specialist Professional Certification (C.C.L.S.) OR in the process of certifying as a C.C.L.S. OR eligible for certification
• Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) membership preferred

Experience

• A minimum of two (2) years experience working with children and families, including one (1) year experience as clinical Child Life Specialist in healthcare setting is preferred
• Experience and comfort working with children with a variety of disabilities
• English language communication skills required to prepare documentation and verbally communicate with all levels of staff and the public
• Ability to develop a sense of trust and positive, supportive therapeutic relationship with infants, children, adolescents and families in a healthcare setting
• Ability to assess development, stress response, coping and behavioural expression in infants, children, and adolescents; identify areas of strength and areas in need of further development; and determine interventions to prevent emotional trauma and promote positive coping, adjustment and progressive development
• Ability to provide preparation prior to medical/nursing procedures; support through procedures; and meaningful resolution following procedures
• Ability to develop strong interpersonal relations and work and communicate effectively with other professionals and various working teams, and work across different program structures