Sarah Maiter

Dr Maiter is Professor in the School of Social Work at York University. Her scholarship, teaching and professional interests include: Anti racist and social justice approaches to social work; race, culture, and ethnicity and child welfare policy and practice ; client centered practice in child welfare; including the voices of diverse populations into social work theory, research and practice; developing prevention and social support programs for diverse populations and for immigrants and refugees; and social work practice with families. Dr Maiter has extensive practice experience in child and family welfare (both child protection and children's mental health services) that she brings to her teaching and scholarship. Prior to coming to York University, she taught in the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University in the individuals, families and groups stream and also developed and taught core courses addressing oppression and marginalization.

Along with providing consultation to community groups and organizations and sitting on working groups, Dr Maiter has been a member of several professional and community boards including the Board of Accreditation of the Association of Schools of Social Work. Currently, she is serving a second term on the board of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) and has been the Chair of the Diversity Committee for both terms. Dr Maiter also served as an expert panel reviewer for the National Traumatic Stress Network in their efforts to develop culturally sensitive, evidence based trauma intervention. As principal investigator of a Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded study, Dr Maiter, with colleagues explored factors that bring ethnic minority families to the attention of the child welfare system and the professional responses to these families. Dr Maiter was co-Investigator of the completed SSHRC funded Community University Research Alliance (CURA) study Partnerships for Children and Families. She is currently co-investigator of a SSHRC funded CURA study: Taking Culture Seriously in Community Mental Health. This is a five year participatory action research project that brings together a variety of university and community partners in Toronto and Waterloo Region. The overall purpose of the study is to explore, develop, pilot and evaluate how best to provide community-based mental health services and supports that are effective for people from culturally diverse backgrounds. Dr Maiter with colleagues is also embarking on a new SSHRC funded study titled The Self-Other Issue in the Healing Practices of Racialized Minority Youth. This study will explore the sense racialized minority youths make of injustice, discrimination, and oppression and the strategies they develop to deal with it.