K a r e n   S w i f t
B.A. (Tex.), M.S.W. (St. Louis), Ph.D. (Tor.)
Professor

2023 Kinsmen
416-736-2100 x-66328
kswift@yorku.ca

Research Interests:

Application of critical theory to social work, feminism and women's issues, child welfare, social policy, multiculturalism.

Books:

Graham, J., Swift, K. and Delaney, R. 2000. An Introduction to Canadian Social Policy. Prentice-Hall.

Swift, Karen. 1995. Manufacturing "Bad Mothers": A Critical Perspective on Child Neglect. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Chapters in Books:

Swift, Karen and Birmingham, Michael. 2000. Location, Location, Location: Restructuring and the Everyday Lives of 'Welfare Moms'. In Neysmith, S. (Ed.). Restructuring Caring Labour: Discourse, State Practice and Everyday Life. Toronto: Oxford University Press: 93-115.

Evans, Patricia M. and Swift, Karen J. 2000. Single Mothers and the Press: Rising Tides, Moral Panic, and Restructuring Discourses. In Neysmith, S. (Ed.). Restructuring Caring Labour: Discourse, State Practice and Everyday LifeToronto: Oxford University Press: 73-92.

Swift, Karen and Birmingham, Michael. 2000. Caring in a Globalizing Economy: Single Mothers on Assistance. In Durst, D. (Ed.). Canada's National Child Benefit: Phoenix or Fizzle? Halifax: Fernwood Publishing: 84-102.

Swift, Karen. 1998. Contradictions in Child Welfare: Neglect and Responsibility. In Baines, C., Evans, P. and Neysmith, S., (Eds.). Women's Caring: A Feminist Perspective on Social Welfare. Second Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press: 160-87.

Swift, Karen. Child Abuse Reporting Systems in Canada. 1997. In Gilbert, Neil, (Ed.)., Combatting Child Abuse: An International Perspective on Reporting Systems. New York: Oxford University Press: 38-71.

Swift, Karen. 1996. An outrage to common decency: Historical Perspectives on Child Neglect. In Smith, E. and Merkel-Holguin (Eds.). A History of Child Welfare. New Brunswick, USA: Transaction Publishers: 61-81.

Swift, Karen and Lyle Longclaws. 1995. Foster care Programming: Themes, Policy Implications and Research Agenda. In Hudson, Joe and Galaway, Burt, (Eds.) Child Welfare in Canada: Research and Policy Implications. Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc.: 245-51.

Papers in Refereed Journals:

Swift, Karen. 2001. The Case for Opposition: An Examination of Contemporary Child Welfare Policy Directions. Canadian Review of Social Policy. 47, Spring. In press.

Stainton, T. and Swift, K. 1997. Difference and Social Work Curriculum. Canadian Social Work Review. Vol. 13, 1: 75-87.

Swift, Karen. 1995. Missing Persons: Women in Child Welfare. Child Welfare. 74, 2: 486-502.

Swift, Karen. 1995. An Outrage to Common Decency: Historical Perspectives on Child Neglect. Child Welfare, 74, 1: 71-91.

Papers in Refereed Conference Proceedings:

Swift, Karen. 1996. "Child Welfare Across Cultures: The Development of Practice Skills". In Proceedings of the Second Symposium on Child Protection, St. John's Newfoundland.

Papers Read:

Conference on Canadian Social Welfare Policy. Calgary, June 17-20, 2001. Can Child Welfare policy promote Social Inclusion? The Case of Substance Abuse.

Conference, Ontario Association of Health Centres. Workshop: Rockin' and Rollin' with Research Workshop. Focus Group Research: Methodology and Beneifts. June 9, 2001.

Canadian Association Schools of Social Work, Quebec City. June, 2001.

Failure to Protect: Child Welfare Work and Changing Families. Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work, Sherbrooke, PQ. June, 1999.

Constructing the Single Mother 'Problem'. Paper presented with P. Evans at the Ninth Social Welfare Policy Conference, Montreal. June, 1999.

Failure to Protect: Child Welfare Work in Context. International Sociological Association, Professions Group. Montreal. August, 1998.

Do Mothers Work? Relations between Globalization and Welfare. Society for the Advancement of Socioeconomics. Montreal. July, 1997.

Ideologies of Work: Single Mothers in the Post Welfare State. Eighth Social Welfare Policy Conference. Regina, Sask. June, 1997.

The Effective Cross Cultural Social Worker: Research on Knowledge and Practice. Paper presented at the Social Work Learned Societies. Brock University, June, 1996.

"Child Welfare Across Cultures: The Development of Practice Skills". Paper presented at the Second Symposium on Child Protection, Memorial University, St. John's Newfoundland, June, 1995.

"Hiding Poverty: The Example of Child Neglect". Paper presented at the Social Work Learned Societies. Montreal, June, 1995.

Invited Presentations:

2001 A Feminist Analysis of Child Welfare. Speech given at a meeting of the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses. June 25, 2001.

2000 Risk Policy in Child Protection. Paper presented at the Institutional Ethnography conference. Toronto. May, 2000.

1999 Trends and Issues in Canadian Child Welfare. Developing Child Welfare Curriculum Across Borders. Victoria, BC. May, 1999.

1998 Constructing Single Mothers: Rising Tides and Moral Panic. Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies. Presented with P. Evans at the Seminar series, Canadian Families Transformed: Toward the Millennium. October 28, 1998.

1998 New Perspectives on Neglect. International Workshop sponsored by Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Seattle, Washington, February, 1998.

1997 International Implications of Manufacturing 'Bad Mothers'. Symposium on women and violence at the Inter American Congress of Psychology. Sao Paolo, Brazil. July, 1997.

1996 Cross Cultural Practice Skills: Research Results. Centre for Applied Family Studies, McGill University.

1996 Manufacturing 'Bad Mothers': The Experience of Research and Writing on Women. Women's studies students, McGill University:

1995 Canadian Child Abuse Reporting Systems. Paper presented to the International Working Group on Child Abuse. Amsterdam, May 20-22, 1995.