Child Life Specialist
Your Opportunity:
Reporting to the manager of the Palliative Care Team, the Child Life Specialist (CLS) helps children and families adjust to and understand life threatening illness, treatment, palliation, grief and bereavement. The CLS provides service as a member of an interdisciplinary team and works within a child and family centered model of care and in accordance with the defined Child Life standards of practice. Through the primary activities of assessment/screening, development of customized goals and therapeutic intervention, education, and follow up, the CLS helps children and families meet their developmental, psychological, educational and emotional needs.
Description:
As a Child Life Specialist, you will plan, develop, implement, coordinate and evaluate developmental and normalization activities including therapeutic play programs in order to further the social, emotional, intellectual and physical growth of children and adolescents. You will assess, research, plan, implement and evaluate appropriate play and developmental activities/interventions for children and families (both individual and in group settings). You will provide therapeutic play programs designed to reduce stress, help clients cope with hospitalization, promote development and independence. You will help prepare children for diagnostic, medical and surgical procedures through hospital play, demonstrations and discussions and introduce coping strategies and techniques to assist children and families during procedures. You will also provide diversion experiences and facilitate special events.
- Transition Company: Assisted Living Alberta
- Classification: Child Life Specialist
- Union: HSAA Facility PROF/TECH
- Unit and Program: Palliative Care
- Primary Location: Chinook Regional Hospital
- Location Details: As Per Location
- Multi-Site: Not Applicable
- FTE: 0.35
- Posting End Date: 24-MAR-2026
- Employee Class: Regular Part Time
- Date Available: 03-APR-2026
- Hours per Shift: 7.75
- Length of Shift in weeks: 12
- Shifts per cycle: 22
- Shift Pattern: Days
- Days Off: As Per Rotation
- Minimum Salary: $39.62
- Maximum Salary: $52.76
- Vehicle Requirement: Driver's License, Vehicle Required
Completion of bachelor's degree in Child Life, Education, Psychology or other related field.
Additional Required Qualifications:Expertise in the areas of therapeutic play, coping strategies, growth and development. Clinical experience working with children and youth experiencing loss, death and grief. Strong interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated ability to function independently and within a multidisciplinary team environment. Demonstrated understanding of a Family Centered Care Service delivery model. Demonstrated flexibility and adaptability.
Preferred Qualifications:As Required.
Please note:
All postings close at 23:59 MT of the posting end date indicated.
Security Screening:
A satisfactory criminal record check and/or Vulnerable Sector Search is required prior to your first day of work. Additionally, all employees have an ongoing duty to disclose any charges or convictions that may occur during their employment with AHS.
Healthy Albertans. Healthy
Communities. Together.
We’re passionate about what we do. Our team of skilled and dedicated health care professionals, support staff, and physicians promote wellness and provide health care all across Alberta.
Everything we do at AHS reflects a patient and family centred approach; it’s about putting patients’ and families’ experiences, priorities and trust first.
We are an equal opportunity employer. AHS values the diversity of the people and communities we serve and is committed to attracting, engaging and developing a diverse and inclusive workforce.
