Non-Discrimination Policy

ACLP Non-Discrimination Policy

ACLP is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity: fairness, justice and respect for all persons.  The ACLP supports an inclusive and welcoming environment for staff, association members, students, volunteers, contractors and vendors or any other persons associated with ACLP.

Whistleblower Policy

Whistleblower Policy

The Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) requires its staff and board of directors to uphold high standards of professional behavior, ethical responsibility, operations, and stewardship of resources to maintain compliance with good governance principles and applicable legal requirements, including the.  This policy empowers staff and board of directors to internally communicate serious concerns in good faith, allowing the ACLP to respond to and rectify conduct and actions that are deemed inappropriate. 

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Intellectual Property Policy

SUBJECT: Intellectual Property 

CONTRIBUTERS: Governance Committee, ACLP Staff, ACLP Legal Counsel

PURPOSE: 

To define intellectual property usage and rights within the Association of Child Life Professionals POLICY

It is the policy of The Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) to protect the development and use of all intellectual property.  This policy applies to all ACLP members, ACLP staff, and any other individual using ACLP resources. 

PROCEDURE 

1.0 Intellectual Property Ownership

1.1 It is the policy of ACLP that ACLP shall own anything created using ACLP resources or an outcome of knowledge learned as an employee or volunteer of ACLP.  Under the “work made for hire” provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act, anything created by ACLP employees in the scope of their employment with ACLP is owned by the ACLP.  Anything to be created by ACLP volunteers (e.g., Board members, Committee members, work group volunteers) shall be assigned to ACLP in writing, ideally before such work product is created. The Committee Leaders Manual highlights this information for committee leaders. 

1.2 Creation of documents, items or resources for commercial use must be in collaboration with the ACLP.  ACLP will determine whether to seek to license or otherwise arrange for the commercialization of its intellectual property.

1.3 Any work created in committee that has potential conflict of interest as it relates to parallel work by a committee chair/member in their own institution should be clarified with ACLP.  If a committee chair/member wants to utilize work created in committee, they should request said utilization in writing to ACLP CEO and President.  Additional conflicts of Intellectual Property will be brought to the ACLP legal counsel for additional review if necessary.

1.4 Anyone obtaining electronic access to other companies’ or individuals’ materials must respect all copyrights and may not copy, retrieve, modify, or forward copyrighted materials except as permitted by the copyright owner.  Just because something is on the internet, does not mean that anyone can use it. 

2.0 Intellectual Property Trademarks/Copyrights and Usage

2.1 ACLP uses a variety of trademarks to brand goods and services offered by ACLP.

• The ACLP current logo is to mark the ACLP brand.
• All ACLP trademarks shall be displayed with the appropriate “®” (if federally registered) or “TM” (if not federally registered) legends.  Federal trademark registration can be obtained through discussion with ACLP legal counsel.
• Copyrights are used to protect specific ACLP documents, content and work product such as publications, research reports or clinical practice statements. A copyright notice should be used on all ACLP documents, content and work product in the following format:

© [year work first made public] Association of Child Life Professionals.  All Rights Reserved. 

Federal Copyright registration can be obtained through discussion with ACLP legal counsel.

2.2 Use of a trademark or copyrighted material needs ACLP’s written approval through an appropriate license agreement.

2.3 Use of ACLP trademarks or copyrighted material without approved consent would be considered an infringing use and ACLP legal counsel may be consulted to determine appropriate next steps. 

3.0 Materials Created by Artificial Intelligence

3.1 Nonhuman artificial intelligence, language models, machine learning, or similar technologies do not qualify for authorship. If these models or tools are used to create content or assist with writing or survey preparation, the party providing the material must take responsibility for the integrity of the content generated by these tools. All use of artificial intelligence, language models, machine learning, or similar technologies to create content or assist with writing or editing of materials must be reported to ACLP.

ADDENDUM

ACLP Confidentiality and Intellection Property Assignment Agreement

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Committee Leaders Manual

ACLP Administrative Policy and Procedure:  Conflict of Interest Policy

Supersedes: 11/2021

Revised: 05/2024

Review date: 11/2026

Intellectual Property/ACLP Administrative P&P Manual

ACLP is a 501(c)(3) non profit association. What is an association?

ACLP is an 501(c)3 non-profit association. Associations generally operate as membership organizations, with the primary focus of providing services and benefits to members of that specific group (i.e. education, networking, professional development, etc). There are many associations for all types of professions such as the American Physical Therapy Association, the American Psychiatric Association, American Insitute of Architects, American Bankers Association, and thousands more! 

Who runs an association?

Associations are run by a board of directors.  For ACLP, board elections are determined by a membership vote. Since board members are elected by the membership, the terms for each board position are clearly defined. At ACLP, all board members are required to be Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLSs). The CEO oversees staff and operations and reports to the board of directors.  

Who does “the work” at ACLP?

ACLP is composed of the board of directors (volunteers), committees run by volunteers, members, and staff. Strategic plan goals are divided into projects and assigned to ACLP Committees to be completed. Over 25 different ACLP Committees, Work Groups, and Task Forces then come together to complete the assignments they have been given. Once the project is complete, the committee submits their final project back to the board for approval. The board reviews, provides feedback on, and/or approves the committee's work. If changes are needed, the work goes back to the committee for revisions. Once the board has approved the work, it is then sent to ACLP staff to distribute or implement. The child life community then provides feedback on projects and what the strategic plan's priorities should be through surveys, meetings, etc. The process then repeats itself every two years with a new strategic plan.

Who leads the ACLP?

The ACLP is led by the Board of Directors.  The ACLP CEO reports to the board. The board is made up of a president, president-elect, past-president, secretary, treasurer, four director roles, Canadian liaison, CLCC liaison, ACLP CEO, and two public members. Excluding the CEO and public members, all other individuals on the board are Certified Child Life Specialists and bring their experience as CCLSs to all discussions and conversations. Board members are volunteer positions. 

Why is the board not paid for their work?

The vast majority of board members for charitable nonprofits serve as volunteers without any compensation. 

What does ACLP have oversight of?

ACLP oversees the awareness of the profession, fostering community, enabling learning through education and training, building knowledge as the definitive source for resources and research, and fiscal responsibility. 

Who makes up the ACLP staff?

Like other associations, ACLP staff is comprised of association management professionals who have both experience and knowledge of how associations are run as well as expertise in their specific role, such as marketing or education. 

Why is the ACLP staff not made up of CCLSs?

ACLP staff are not responsible for the development of projects, programs, or initiatives. ACLP Committees are the entities developing the content and then it is staff who distributes or implements. Staff members have their respective degrees, certifications, and experience in their specific line of work. 

What are my membership dues going towards?

Membership dues support the overall operation of ACLP. For example, dues support both revenue generating as well as free programming for the profession (i.e. Mentorship program, Meet-Ups, etc) as well as other operational budget items such as technology, website, staff, software, etc.

Are ACLP and the CLCC the same organization?

How much advocacy can ACLP do as a 501(c)3 do versus the CLCC as a 501(c)6?

ACLP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit association. The IRS is clear on its rules relating to nonprofits and lobbying and political activities. Generally speaking, 501(c)(6) organizations have more latitude when it comes to engaging in activities of this nature. They are allowed to engage in unlimited lobbying and may also support and endorse political candidates.

On the other hand, a 501(c)(3) organization should not engage in unlimited lobbying activities. 501(c)(3) public charities may engage in lobbying so long as such activities are insubstantial in relation to their overall activities. Doing so risks the loss of tax-exempt status and likely runs outside the organization's mission statement.    

Do I have to be an ACLP member to maintain my CCLS credential?

No. You do not have to be a member to maintain your CCLS credential 

Why am I paying ACLP for my certification dues?

You aren’t! Your certification dues are going directly to the CLCC bank account. The two organizations have separate financials as they are separate organizations.  

Why doesn’t ACLP stop hospitals from hiring noncertified individuals in CCLS roles?

ACLP does not oversee certification activities. The CLCC has authority for making decisions regarding all certification activities.