KCSC Team
The KCSC program is managed out of King’s University College School of Social Work Professional Practicum Education Office.
Social Work students, under direct supervision of a registered social worker, provide intake and assessment for the purposes of providing free and accessible counselling. Additionally, the program offers support for workforce development through the provision of professional development offerings, peer support and sharing circles in an effort to support the important work of our frontline professionals within our social service community.
M.K. Arundel, BSW (Hons.), MSW, RSW
KCSC CREATOR AND RESEARCH COLLABORATOR
M.K. is the creator and director of the SAFE program and the Manager, Professional Practicum Education, in the School of Social Work at King’s University College at Western University. As a social worker with over 15 years’ experience in the London region, her areas of focus have included clinical assessment, consultation, family mediation and conflict resolution, counselling support, youth mental health, and overall leadership all within the context of the justice system. In her role as an educator of professional social work practice, she has been honoured to have influence in the next generation of social workers and to be able to develop the KCSC as a rich learning opportunity for students while contributing to her passion of creating opportunities for healthier families and communities.
SAFE Clinical Team
Kelly Brander
King's Community Support Centre Clinical Supervisor
Kelly Brander is the clinical supervisor for the King’s Community Support Centre. Kelly brings over 30 years of experience with the Children's Aid Society of London and Middlesex. She is an alumna of the University of Windsor and Western University, with BSW and MSW degrees and a Certificate in Addiction Studies.
Kelly is passionate about working with individuals beginning their professional journeys and is excited about King’s initiatives with community partners.
SAFE Research Team
Dr. Carrie Smith
Dr. Carrie Smith is the lead researcher for the KCSC and an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at King’s University College. Carrie worked at various child welfare organizations for more than ten years, as a child protection worker and a supervisor of research and evaluation. Her research and evaluation interests broadly include the long-term consequences of child maltreatment (in particular, on economic outcomes), child abuse prevention, and program evaluation. She has published in the areas of child welfare organizational structure and decisions for vulnerable children, supporting new workers, duty to report, evidence-informed practice, and ethical considerations for collecting data from vulnerable children.
Publications
Dr. Stephanie Baird
Dr. Stephanie Baird is a KCSC research team member and is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at King's University College. Stephanie's research and teaching interests build on more than twenty years of clinical and community social work experience. Her practice experience has informed her program of research, which seeks to critically examine social work practice models to ensure they address the complexity of service users’ identities and experiences, and the impacts of multiple levels of oppression and marginalization on individual experiences. Broadly, the focus of her research responds to three key areas: 1) gender-based violence and trauma, 2) social work practice and intervention research, and 3) social work education and practicum education.
Jane E. Sanders, PhD, MSW, BSW, RSW
Dr. Jane Sanders is the lead researcher with SAFE and an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at King’s. She has over 25 years of social work experience with children, youth, and families across multiple settings including child welfare, domestic violence, child and family community services, hospital-based child and adolescent mental health, and school social work. Jane has been a practicum instructor and faculty coordinator in multiple social work programs. In addition to her research with SAFE, Jane’s research focuses on the impact of trauma and expanded forms of adversity (including systemic racism, inequality and community violence) on academics, with a particular focus on adverse experiences of students who have been suspended or expelled from school. Her research generally falls within two broad areas of focus: 1) child and family mental health with subspecialties in early adversity and school success, and 2) clinical practice and education.