Operating Principles

We are guided by these principles:

• We will collaborate, maintain, and promote a philosophy and identity that is accepted on an international level.
• We will maintain the highest standards of professional behavior and practices.
• We will be recognized as essential in healthcare, as well as in diverse community settings, and will be available to all infants, children, youth, and families regardless of ability to pay.
• We will advocate for the rights of infants, children and youth and support appropriate political, legal, and ethical responses to their psychosocial needs.
• We will maintain the child life profession through education and training programs that are diverse, inclusive, continuous, and consistent with our philosophy.
• We will initiate research to validate our methodologies and further the practice of child life.
• We will maintain meaningful credentialing for child life practitioners that addresses professional philosophy and knowledge.
• We will attract highly skilled, diverse, and committed individuals who are able to demonstrate competence in communication and human services skills.We will interface with other disciplines that provide interventions to infants, children, youth and families, and will help them cope with the stress and uncertainty of acute and chronic illness, injury, trauma, disability, loss, and bereavement.

Learn More

• Learn more about Child Life Standards of Clinical Practice (3 pgs, 63 KB, excerpted from The Official Documents.)