Child Life Specialist

Department

Psychosocial, Grief and Bereavement

Manager, Psychosocial, Grief and Bereavement Services

277 Stone Church Road East, Hamilton, ON L9B 1B1

Full‑time

Immediately

The Child Life Specialist provides compassionate, developmentally appropriate clinical grief and bereavement support to children, teens, and families experiencing the serious illness or death of a loved one. The role prioritizes direct therapeutic work, helping young people understand concepts of death and dying, process anticipatory grief, cope during end‑of‑life experiences, and navigate bereavement after a loss through evidence‑informed, trauma‑informed practice.

The Specialist delivers individualized support, facilitates therapeutic play and expressive activities, and leads group programs to promote healthy coping and emotional resilience, while also providing professional leadership for children’s grief programming across the Kemp Care Network.

This position plays a key role in delivering and strengthening KCN’s children’s grief services for children and youth from across the city who are grieving a wide range of losses (e.g., parents, grandparents, siblings, friends). The Child Life Specialist also supports the planning and delivery of Camp Keaton, an annual weekend grief camp, as part of a broader continuum of children’s grief supports.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Child Life or a related clinical discipline (e.g., Social Work, Psychology, Counselling) from a recognized university or college.
• Minimum 3–5 years of direct, clinical practice providing grief and bereavement support to children and youth (individual and/or group).
• Experience working with children and families experiencing illness, grief, bereavement, or trauma.
• Hospice, palliative care, and/or other healthcare experience is required.
• Strong skills in play‑based interventions, child development, and supporting grief across developmental stages.
• Compassionate, emotionally resilient, excellent communicator, demonstrated ability to build rapport and trust with children, and history of strong family engagement skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team, with a high degree of professional autonomy and initiative.
• Ability to assess and support volunteers supporting children and family programming.
• Must have, or be willing to secure, a Vulnerable Sector Check.
• Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) designation or eligibility is strongly preferred.
• Applicants with an MSW/RSW, psychology, or other graduate‑level clinical background who have significant experience in children’s grief and bereavement (or an equivalent combination of education and experience) are also encouraged to apply.

• Demonstrated competence in crisis intervention, risk assessment, and safety planning for children and youth experiencing grief and loss.
• Ability to establish rapport and therapeutic alliance with children and youth who are grieving.
• Demonstrated clinical competence in trauma‑informed, child‑ and family‑centred grief and bereavement care.
• Demonstrated cultural competency and experience working with diverse populations, including equity‑deserving and marginalized communities.
• Self‑starter with strong initiative, able to identify needs, adapt supports (including outreach to schools or community settings), and respond within established clinical and organizational guidelines.
• Strong organizational, time management, and program coordination skills.

• Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) credential (or eligibility in progress) and/or other advanced training in children’s grief, bereavement, and trauma‑informed practice are strong assets.
• If you do not have specific certifications, but have palliative care, grief and bereavement, child life, trauma‑informed practice, or related specialty training, please describe this in your application.

• Provide clinical leadership for children’s grief services across Kemp Care Network, ensuring services are trauma‑informed, developmentally appropriate,…