ACLP's Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Leadership

ACLP’S action steps and opportunities:

1. We will actively seek out and engage minority students with the express purpose of increasing minority recruitment into the pathway to the profession.
2. We will expand the scope of standardized reading materials for child life academic preparation to include DEI content and a diverse array of authors, specifically authors of color.
3. We will require the use of these materials as a standard for academic program endorsement.
4. We will require that all academic programs applying for endorsement show proof of their institution’s comprehensive antidiscrimination policies.
5. We will provide educational content on DEI for practicum and internship students and encourage all institutions offering child life practicums/internships to utilize this content.
6. We will make the content available free to child life practicum/internship students whose institutions do not teach the material.
7. We will make inclusion of this educational material a requirement for internship accreditation.
8. We will require that all clinical programs applying for internship accreditation show proof of their institution’s comprehensive antidiscrimination policies.
9. We will continue to offer diversity scholarships to financially support minority students on their pathway to the profession.
10. We will formally ask the CLCC to include DEI topics in the next job analysis for the purpose of incorporating questions on DEI content on the certification exam.
11. We will ensure that our lineup of webinars and our annual conference include educational opportunities on DEI topics at both the introductory and advanced levels.
12. We will welcome colleagues from other healthcare professions, as well as members of the public, to engage in these educational opportunities and will ensure that our organization offers a membership category available to healthcare professionals and public members that includes discounts on educational webinars and conference registration.
13. We will continue to offer affinity groups for our minority members to increase support, growth, and retention in the profession.
14. We will ensure DEI remains an ongoing area of urgent focus throughout our organization by reserving time on the agenda at every board and staff meeting, as well volunteer committee and task force meetings, for the discussion of DEI efforts and their impact on the groups’ goals and work.
15. We will hold ourselves accountable to the commitments we make here in writing by reporting to our members on the progress of these efforts through town hall meetings, annual reports, articles in the ACLP Bulletin, and discussion at our annual meeting.

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Personal

Personal work (education and self-reflection):

1. Read. Solid activism requires personal reflection, insight, and awareness. You are responsible for seeking knowledge through insight and reflection. Use this Guide to Allyship, an evolving, open-source document, and this reading list to get started. ACLP will be beginning a monthly book club for members, starting in August with Heavy by Kiese Laymon.
2. Attend a workshop such as Undoing Racism to deepen self-awareness and insight as a way to continue increasing your racial consciousness.
3. Watch. These posts are small, easily digestible pieces designed to help you understand systemic racism, why blacklivesmatter vs. alllivesmatter, and white privilege.
4. Follow change catalysts on social media to keep up with relevant content and news as it becomes available. Great starting points are @theConsciousKid, @DrRayMD, Michelle Kim, and Child Life on Call: Antiracism and Discrimination Resources for Child Life. The next step is to follow who those change agents are following in order to further expand your worldview and access to change catalysts.
5. Listen. Listen to others and your own (external and internal) voice. What comes up for you when you listen to what others say? What makes you feel defensive, guilty, proud, comfortable, or uncomfortable? Dig in to understand and reflect on the sources of those reactions and how they may be caused by implicit bias and systemic racism.
6. Share. Share openly and be ready to receive feedback, encouragement, questions, or push back. Appreciate feedback and embrace the defensiveness that may arise within as a signal that additional work needs to be done to understand why you reacted in a certain way.
7. Do not expect to check off a list of actions and then consider your work done. Changing years of systemic racism requires internalization of the history, values, principles, and context for its existence. Systemic racism does not go away because individuals donate to causes or like social media posts, although those actions do help. True change requires lifelong learning, patience, compassion, and endurance and all of us working as a collective whole to instigate change.

Supplement your education and self-reflection with actions:

1. Donate to organizations doing DEI and anti-racism work, such as:
   • NAACP
   • Southern Poverty Law Center
   • United Negro College Fund
   • Black Lives Matter
2. Take an implicit bias test, but understand it is not a perfect tool. Use the knowledge gained to create additional learning opportunities and to change practices and behaviors.
3. Talk with your children about systemic racism and white privilege or start by reading a book with them (www.eyeseeme.com is a great place to look).
4. Advocate. Write to your community, academic, and political decision makers to request what their action steps are for acting on their promise of change.
5. Vote. If you do not feel heard or supported by leaders, use your power to vote to create change.

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Academics

Faculty specific:

1. Ensure curriculum includes DEI both as a specific area of academic focus and as an integral topic throughout all subjects.
2. Ensure reading lists (textbooks, research, and supplemental books) include authors of color.
3. Ensure simulation modules and case studies include actionable steps to address discrimination in healthcare settings, implicit bias, and prejudice.
4. Ensure curriculum includes reflective practice allowing students to learn ways to identify how their own race, culture, gender, and sexual orientation influence and impact clinical work.
5. Share information regarding child life academic program with high school career counselors with intentional focus on schools with diverse populations.
6. Evaluate the student body composition within your program.

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Clinical

Staff specific:

1. Create discussions and professional development opportunities related to DEI:
   • Organize/facilitate monthly/quarterly book reviews and discussion groups with staff.
   • Encourage staff to engage in ACLP Affinity groups as appropriate.
   • Provide access to ACLP educational webinars on DEI topics.
2. Create an annual staff competency that focuses on DEI-related self-reflective practices. (Program leaders should actively and intentionally engage in ongoing discussions with staff on DEI focus.)
3. Ensure all department policies are aligned with DEI values.
4. Ensure recruiting and hiring practices are fair and equitable to all.
5. Intentionally and actively recruit minority candidates for practicums, internships, and employment opportunities.
6. Ensure a robust array of resources and play materials that represent children and youth of all races, cultures, orientations, and abilities.
7. Actively seek and engage in opportunities for staff to present information on the child life profession at community and school career fairs in minority neighborhoods and at schools with significant minority populations. Anchor these recruiting efforts with individual follow up and mentorship for minority students as they begin their pathway to the profession.

Clinical training program specific:

1. Advertise your desire to recruit minority candidates for practicums and internships on your website and other PR materials.
2. Require virtual interviews be offered as an option for practicum and internship candidates.Ensure that virtual interviews are weighted equally with in-person interviews when selecting candidates. Consider eliminating in-person interviews all together.
3. When presented with qualified candidates in excess of your available slots, prioritize selection of minority students.
4. Remove student fees for practicum and internship applications and placements. Use unofficial transcripts only during the application process. If your institution requires official transcripts, request them from students only after they have been offered, and have accepted, a student placement with your institution.
5. Create a scholarship fund to provide financial assistance to minority students during internship.

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