Voice of the Child

Rachel Birnbaum, Ph.D.; RSW; LL.M. teaches in the area of children and families and the intersection between law and social work. She is cross appointed with Childhood & Social Institutions (Interdisciplinary Programs) and Social Work. She has over 25 years of clinical practice experience working with children and families of separation and/or divorce, specifically focused on high conflict families, written over 150 scholarly articles and co-authored 8 books. She has presented and published both nationally and internationally on child custody and access assessments, child legal representation, children's participation in family disputes, and access to justice for children and their families. Her research is interdisciplinary and collaborative with colleagues in law, medicine, psychology and social work. Dr. Birnbaum is a Member of The Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. She was the President of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) from 2005-2009; the President of the Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators (CCSWR) from 2012-2014; and was the President of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts-Ontario (AFCC-O) for 2014-2015. She is presently a Board Member of the Canadian Research Institute for Law & The Family, in Calgary, Alberta.