Canadian Immigration Policies and Family Reunification: Implications for Social Work (webinar recording)

This 2020 Canadian Association of Social Workers webinar provides an overview of Family Reunification, focusing on: an introduction to the Canadian family reunification policies, the policies’ effects upon migrant clients, exploring social work’s role in immigration social policy development, and offers avenues for addressing social justice challenges and barriers faced by migrant families.

Drs. Martin and Redmond explore the challenges and opportunities associated with social work with separated families and detail how social workers can work towards the social justice aim of all families being able to live together. This is followed by a discussion of the effects of these regulations upon the lives of migrants separated from their family members.

Presenters:

Dr. Beth Martin, B.S.W., M.S.W., currently teaches in the School of Social Work at Carleton University. Her practice and research interests revolve around immigration and international social work particularly in relation to family separation and reunification.Since 2007, Beth has worked on a number of projects and programs for the Red Cross; these have included completing needs assessments and capacity assessments for the Restoring Family Links program in Canada, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as emergency response work in Germany at the height of the refugee movement in 2015.Her MSW research looked at the experiences of families who migrate alone, while her PhD research investigated the experiences of families trying to reunite in Canada through the Family Class stream of immigration, exposing many gaps between policy and lived experience and a number of areas of overlap with social work practice.

Dr. Melissa Redmond, M.S.W, BCL, LLB, B.S.W. is an Assistant Professor at Carleton University’s School of Social Work in Ottawa, Canada. In addition to child protection policy and practice, Dr. Redmond’s research interests include social service program access, children’s human rights and health promotion, poverty reduction strategies, cultural identity and gender concerns. Dr. Redmond’s sole-authored and co-written articles have appeared in several peer-reviewed and non-academic publications. Melissa Redmond has worked as a social work practitioner, researcher and advocate in varied academic, community and organizational settings.