Part Time - Child Life Specialist

Chicago Children's Advocacy Center•Chicago, IL

13d

About The Position

Provide a developmentally appropriate and trauma-informed environment to all children, ensuring their physical and emotional safety. Integrate child life interventions and assessment, mitigating stress and discomfort during the investigative process. Ensure child understanding of the environment and process, promote child agency, increase self-esteem, foster self-expression, and support resilience. Foster positive coping through play, preparation, education, and therapeutic activities. DEI&AB Culture Commitment: The Child Life Specialist (CLS) is responsible for creating an inclusive environment that demonstrates equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging to our clients, ChicagoCAC employees, and partners. The position also assists in ChicagoCAC’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging (DEIAB) initiatives.

Requirements

Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in child life or child development related field
2-3 years of experience in a child life or human services capacity
Completion of the required 600-hour child life internship
Child Life Certification (or attained within six months of hire)
CPR Certification (or attained within 90 days of hire)
Excellent written and oral communications skills

Responsibilities

Assess children and families and identify needs for support during the forensic interview process and mental health appointments, providing strategies and evidence -based interventions to help them cope, while meeting their developmental, emotional, and psychosocial needs.
Develop support plans, as needed, for families to address children’s developmental needs, including children with disabilities or delays, while providing guidance to caregivers.
Provide therapeutic intervention, support, and coping materials for children experiencing stressful events, such as: grief after a death, a mental health crisis, a change in living situation/family dynamic, and/or have been a witness to a homicide or other violent event.
Observe and monitor the child’s behavior and emotional responses and advocate for different psychosocial needs that may be impacted by the investigative process while incorporating best practice interventions in collaboration with the MDT.
Assess and respond to the needs of families in various child life areas, facilitating developmentally appropriate play outlets for children and support for caregivers.
As needed, prepare children and families for off-site medical exams using developmentally appropriate education materials.
Create and/or share established education materials across multiple mediums to address developmental needs that benefit current and future families.
Supervise and facilitate group therapeutic activity sessions and special events.
Utilize professionalism, collaborate with the MDT, and provide a safe environment during crisis situations.
Participate in monthly MDT Case Review and other MDT workgroups and staffing's.
Assist supervisor in the orientation and training of new child life staff, students, and volunteers. For students, only, submit weekly observations and midterm and final evaluations to Child Life Manager.
Take on the primary managerial role if Supervisor isn't on-site to guide child life assistants regarding best practices for implementing evidence-based intervention and assessment.
Oversee Child Life students’ experiences and assessment of their skills through mock medical simulations.
Document child life interventions in the electronic case tracking system according to professional standards in a timely manner.
In collaboration with the Child Life Supervisor, engage in the further development and implementation of the Child Life Program at ChicagoCAC.
Participate in local networking and training opportunities for professional development and training of other staff.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

BCBS HMO and PPO healthcare coverage options with an opportunity to add family members to plans.
Free life insurance at 2x your salary up to a maximum of $200,000.
Additional pay of 10% of your salary up to $7,500 per year (available after 6 months of employment) to use towards a menu of benefits such as: additional health benefits, dental, vision, long-term disability short-term disability, 403b plan, a Roth option, legal coverage, dependent care, flexible spending, and taxable spending.
Taxable spending may be used for health club membership, fitness activities, tuition reimbursement, student loan repayment, among other options.
Paid Time Off (“PTO”): PTO starts accruing the first day of employment and accrues at a rate of 35 days in a 12-month period.
PTO days are used for all days off, including holidays and sick time so you have maximum flexibility in the use of your PTO.
Timing of vacations may be dependent on client needs, as that’s our first priority.
PTO goes up to 40 days after 5 years.
Additional PTO for FMLA-related reasons up to 20 days.
A remote work policy that provides flexibility in work hours so long as operational needs are met.
Regular expert training on evidence-based therapy modalities, which includes being able to earn Continuing Education Units.
A casual dress code.
Enjoy afternoon milk and cookies every Friday!