Alicia Boatswain-Kyte, Assistant Professor

Dr. Alicia Boatswain-Kyte is a social worker with over ten years of clinical experience working with marginalized individuals, families and groups. The majority of this experience has been in the area of child protection. Her research interests center around the systemic oppression of racialized individuals and how this contributes to their unequal representation within systems of social control. Alicia advocates for transformative social change within our institutions and social policies to ensure that all individuals and groups are able to participate as full and equal peers within society. Her work seeks to identify innovative solutions to facilitating service accessibility to marginalized populations. She is involved with several community organizations aiming to improve the health and social outcomes for Black children and families in Montreal.

Alicia’s teaching gives consideration to both historical and contemporary social work practice and how it relates to our interventions with marginalized individuals and families. Her pedagogy draws on the importance of social and relational processes pursuant to social justice, while seeking to develop the critical reflexivity of students within the context of their professional social work practice.

Education 

Doctor of Philosophy, 2018 - Université de Montréal, École de travail social

Thesis: Overrepresentation and disparity of Black children reported under the child protection system: The need for effective cross-system collaboration Supervisors: Tonino Esposito and Nico Trocmé

Master of Social Work, 2007 - McGill University, School of Social Work

Bachelors of Social Work, 2005 - McGill University, School of Social Work

 

Areas of interest and specialization

  • Anti-racism
  • Community-based child welfare
  • Practice with marginalized individuals
  • Social work education
  • Program evaluation

 

Research

2021 – 2023

Building Community Accountability: Addressing the Overrepresentation and Disparity Faced by Black Children Reported o the Child Welfare

System in Quebec (IN PROGRESS)

PI: Boatswain-Kyte, A.

SSHRC – Insight Development Grant ($50, 508)

 

2021 – 2022

Impacts de la COVID-19 sur les jeunes racisés en transition versl’éducation postsecondaire : médiation des voies de l’exclusion sociale vers l’inclusion (IN PROGRESS)

PI: Boatswain-Kyte, A.

Co-investigators: LaFortune, G; Debrosse, R. Co-applicants: Vaval, P.

FQRSC Impulsion – appui à la relance économique ($99, 501)

 

2020 – 2021

COVID-19: Advocating for Resiliency Through Understanding the Differential Impacts of COVID-19 for Black Montrealers (IN PROGRESS)

PI: Boatswain-Kyte, A., Co-investigators: Hanley, J, Callender, T., Co-applicants: Callender, T., Lindor, T.

SSHRC – Partnership Engage Grants ($24, 505)

 

2019 - 2021

Services d’accompagnement juridique des personnes victimes de Violences sexuelles et d’évaluation des besoins en violence conjugale (COMPLETED)

PI : Boatswain-Kyte, A.

Clinique Juripop (Ministère de la Justice de Québec) ($49,182)

 

2018 – 2023

Strengthening Families Montreal: Expanding Community-Led Prevention Capacity (IN PROGRESS)

PI: Boatswain-Kyte, A.

National Crime Prevention Canada (NCPC) ($75,00

Publications

Boatswain-Kyte.A, Brotman, S., Callender, T., Dejean, B., Hanley, J., Jivraj, N., Lindor, T., Moran, J., Muir, S., & Puspparajah, D. (2022). “We want our own data!” Building Black community accountability in the collection of health data using a Black emancipatory action research (BEAR) approach. Critical and Radical Social Work.

Boatswain-Kyte, A., Dejean, B., & Esposito, T. (submitted). Racisme anti-Noir, profilage racial et le système de protection de la jeunesse au Québec. Revue Nouvelles Pratiques Sociales

Boatswain-Kyte, David, S., Mitchell. N. (2022). Black in the classroom: Teaching anti-oppressive practice in White spaces. Journal of Teaching in Social Work.

Boatswain-Kyte, A., Esposito, T., & Trocme, N. (2022). Impacts of race on family reunification: a longitudinal study comparing exits from Quebec's child welfare system. Child Abuse & Neglect, 125, 105483.

Shah, K., Boatswain-Kyte, A. & Lee, E. O. J. (2021). Anti-racist education in social work: An exploration of required undergraduate social work courses in quebec. Canadian Social Work Review / Revue canadienne de service social, 38(2), 141–157. https://doi.org/10.7202/1086123ar

*Boatswain-Kyte, A., Trocmé, N., Esposito, T., & Fast, E., (2021). Child protection agencies collaborating with grass-root community organizations: Partnership or tokenism? Journal of Public Child Welfare.

*Boatswain-Kyte, A., Esposito, T., & Trocmé, N. (2020). A longitudinal jurisdictional study of Black children reported to child protection services in Quebec, Canada. Children and Youth Services Review, 116, 105219.

Kyte, A. & Trocmé, N. (2017). Final Report: Black Strengthening Families Program Monitoring and Process Evaluation. Submitted to the Côte-des-Neiges Black Community Association and National Crime Prevention Centre Public Safety Canada, Montreal, QC.

Boatswain-Kyte, A., Chabot, M., Esposito, E., Mario, E., Trocmé, N. (2016). La récurrence chez les jeunes ayant reçu des services en protection de la jeunesse: L’exemple d’un centre jeunesse du Québec. On the Radar, 2(1)

Trocmé, N., Kyte, A., Sinha, V., Fallon, B. (2014). Urgent protection versus chronic need: clarifying the dual mandate of child welfare services across Canada. Social Sciences, 3, p. 483-498.

Kyte, A., Trocmé, N. (2014). Alberta’s Child Welfare System. Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal: McGill University

Kyte, A., Trocmé, N., Chamberland, C. (2012). Evaluating where we’re at with differential response. Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect, 37(2-3), p. 125-132.

Kyte, A., Sinha, V., & Trocmé, N. (2012). Final Report Phase II: Strengthening Families Program. Submitted to the African Canadian Development & Prevention Network and the Public Health Agency of Canada, Montreal, QC.

Boatswain-Kyte, A (2011). The Circle of Courage: More than 4 quadrants. MDC Journal Batshaw Youth and Family Centres.

Kyte, A., Pluvinages, S., Rinfret, S (2010). Toward Quality Practices: Application of the British Model of Services for Children and Families, AIDES Initiative: École de service social, Université de Montreal: Centre de Liaison on Intervention and Prevention in the Psychosocial Area (CLIPP)

Boatswain-Kyte, A. & Burns, P. (2009). The challenge in evaluating emotional neglect. MDC Journal Batshaw Youth and Family Centres, 5, p. 7-11

Boatswain-Kyte, A (2009). Disorganized attachment: an exploration of attachment-based interventions in application to child protection. In the Know, 1(2) p. 3

PRESENTATIONS

Kyte, A., Esposito, N., & Trocmé, N. (2019). Overrepresentation and disparity of Canadian Black children reported under the child protection system: The need for effective-cross system collaboration. Society for Social Work and Research, San Francisco, January 18th

Kyte, A. (2017). Disproportionality and disparity of urban Black children receiving child protection services in Montreal, Quebec. Canadian Research Data Centre Network, Montreal, November 14th .

Boatswain-Kyte, A., Pelletier, S., & Brend, D. (2017). La recherche participative de l’action qui bouge : le point de vue des étudiants impliqués dans la recherche en partenariat. Association francophone pour le savoir, Montreal, May 10th

Kyte, A., (2016). Examination of an inter-organizational collaboration and emerging pilot project for English-speaking Black families reported under the child protection system. Health Care Access for Linguistic Minorities Network Conference 2016, Montreal, June 16th

Boatswain-Kyte, A., Sirois, M., Marion, E. (2016). Partenariat université-milieu: un nouveau mode de production de connaissances, une nouvelle approche de la recherche? Association francophone pour le savoir, Montréal, May 9th

Kyte, A., Trocmé, N. Nutton, J. (2012). Overview of differential response systems in Canada. 7th Annual Differential Response Conference, American Humane Society, Nevada, November 16th

Kyte, A. (2012). Une alternative à la DPJ? Orientation des pratiques et politiques dans le domaine des enfants maltraités. 12e édition du colloque annuel du GRAVE, Montreal, June 14th.

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