The Pediatric Chaplains Network is a non-profit organization with the mission of enhancing the spiritual care of children and families in healthcare. Our vision is that of advocating and inspiring innovative pediatric chaplaincy.

The Pediatric Chaplains Network began in 1995 as a pre-conference gathering of pediatric chaplains that met in conjunction with the Association for the Care of Children’s Health (ACCH) annual conference, an interdisciplinary group. The gathering came about as the result of an informal meeting the year before (1994) at the ACCH Conference in Toronto, Canada. The Network was officially organized in 1997 and was received as an affiliate organization of ACCH at that time. When the ACCH dissolved as an organization, the PCN established itself as an independent group. The PCN incorporated in the fall of 1999 and was received as a member organization in the Coalition on Ministry in Specialized Settings (COMISS) in December 1999. Chaplains from a variety of children’s health care facilities and organizations are members of the Network. 

Our goals are to: 

• To advocate for the unique spiritual needs of children and families in health care;
  To establish and maintain a network designed specifically for pediatric chaplains to provide nurture, support, communication and other collegial opportunities;
• To create continuing education opportunities to improve the quality of professional development in pediatric chaplaincy, to share important resources and to promote excellence in clinical skills of pediatric chaplains;
• To encourage theological and spiritual edification and reflection;
• To speak for the interests of pediatric chaplaincy in relationships with other professional chaplaincy organizations and with individuals and groups making public policy decisions.