Child Life Specialist

Responsibilities:

• Participate and assist multidisciplinary team in providing mental health assessments of children and adolescents, and their families.
• To ensure the daily operations and tasks of the Child Life Department are met.
• Provide emotional support to children and their families within the hospital, before, during and after procedures.
• Provide distraction techniques/therapy for children attending appointments in the Out-Patients, Emergency Department, Dialysis and In-patients when needed.
• Provide medical play opportunities, where children can play with medical equipment, pictures and teaching dolls to prepare the children for surgery.
• To teach patients techniques to help reduce anxiety and stress.
• To educate the family on ways to help their child and provide family support, when needed.
• To provide opportunities for planned and free play activities in the playrooms within the wards.
• To provide special activities and events for hospital inpatients.
• To provide training for medical staff and volunteers.
• To attend the Mental Health Department and business meetings when necessary.
• To maintain patient records, including clinical observations, clinical notes, tests and other relevant patient data according to the facility's Mental Health Centre of Excellence policy and procedures.
• To provide patient and family-centred services in line with the ethical standards for the provision of mental health services.