Barbara Lee is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work, Director of the Centre for the Study of Services to Children and Families, an academic affiliate of the SIM Social Work Research Lab at Carleton University, and Knowledge Exchange and Mobilization Scholar at the University of British Columbia.

Ph.D. University of Toronto
Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work & Ethnic and Pluralism Studies Collaborative Graduate Program

M.S.W. University of Toronto
Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work & Ethnic and Pluralism Studies Collaborative Graduate Program

B.S.W. University of Victoria
School of Social Work – Child Welfare Specialization

B.A. Queen’s University
Faculty of Arts – Psychology

Barbara was the 2016 recipient of the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) Transforming Child Welfare Dissertation Award for her research entitled “Examining child welfare outcomes for Asian-Canadian children and families: A mixed methods study”. Barbara’s research is informed by her direct practice experience as a youth worker for new immigrant youth, child and youth care counselor in residential group home settings, and as a frontline child protection worker providing intervention for children and youth who have experienced or at risk of child maltreatment. Barbara uses community-based program evaluation, administrative data, survey designs, and mixed methods approaches to examine social service processes and outcomes, and to promote evidence-informed practices with children, youth, and families.

As a Knowledge Exchange and Mobilization (KxM) scholar, Barbara strives to build university-community partnerships in knowledge creation and exchange, and to disseminate and mobilize knowledge that will promote racial and social justice. In this pursuit, Barbara serves as the founding editor-in-chief for the open-access e-journal Research and Evaluation in Child, Youth, and Family Services to encourage dialogue and advancing impactful research to promote positive change in child, youth, and family services.

Current Funded Research

Co-Investigator (PI: Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim) 2024-2028
CIHR ($430,752)
Strengthening mental health services through enhancing the capacity of health workers in Somalia (MH Care-Somalia)

Principal Investigator, 2024-2025
SSHRC Connection Grant ($25,000)
Bridging Critical Social Work Education and Clinical Practice: A Design-based Research Study

Principal Investigator (Community Collaborator: Shari Monsma), 2024-2025
UBC, Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) ($15,102)
Strengthening Kinship Care in British Columbia (BC): Leveraging Research and Advocacy for Comprehensive Supports for Children, Youth, and Families

Co-Investigator (PI: Dr. Dora Tam) 2023-2024
University of Calgary, Vice President of Research, Catalyst Grants ($15,000)
Collaborative Innovations for Change on Youth Mental Health

Principal Investigator, 2022-2027
SSHRC Insight Grant ($229,899)
Bridging Critical Social Work Education and Clinical Practice: A Design-based Research Study

Principal Investigator, 2020 – 2023
SSHRC Insight Development Grant ($74,390)
Exploring the barriers and facilitators for effective child welfare intervention for Asian-Canadian children and families: Perspectives of service users service providers

Select Publications

Yan, M., Marshall, S., Lee, B., Ng. C., & Ngan, B. (2023). Survey study on Hong Kong residents recently arrived in Canada – Second Report. Prepared for the School of Social Work, University of British Columbia. https://socialwork.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2023/08/Second-Report-of-HKer-Survey-Auguest-10-2023.pdf

Yan, M., Marshall, S., Lee, B., Ng. C., & Ngan, B. (2023). Survey study on Hong Kong residents recently arrived in Canada – First Report. Prepared for the School of Social Work, University of British Columbia. https://socialwork.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2023/06/HKr-Survey-First-Report-June-12-2023-2.pdf

Tufford, L., Lee, B., Thieu, V., & Zhao, R. (2023).  Emotional regulation in peer-to-peer role-plays in social work education: The contribution from standardized clients in medicine. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 43(5), 627-643. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2023.2266521

Campbell, S. H., Bontinen, K., & Stephen, L-A. (Eds) Aredes, N. D. A., Bell, A., Lim, Y., Lee, B., Dhari, R. K., Tharmaratnam, T., & Erhardt, A. (12/21/2022). Global Interprofessional Therapeutic Communication Scale^© (GITCS^©) Interactive Text, 1^st Canadian Edition. PressBooks, Creative Commons. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/gitcs/

Tufford, L., Lee, B., Thieu, V., & Zhao, R. (2022). Field Instructors’ perspectives on educating social work students in the mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect. Field Educator, 12(2), 1-31. https://fieldeducator.simmons.edu/article/field-instructors-perspectives-on-educating-social-work-students-in-the-mandatory-reporting-of-child-abuse-and-neglect/

Asakura, K., Lee, B., Occhiuto, K., & Kourgiantakis, T. (2022). Observational learning in simulation-based social work education: Comparison of interviewers and observers. Social Work Education: The International Journal, 41(3), 300-316.  https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2020.1831467

Lee, B., Lwin, K., Zhao, R., & Thieu, V. (2021). Training and Education in Working with Immigrant Children and Families in the Child Welfare System: A Scoping Review Protocol. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/KCY2X

Lee, B., Thieu, V., & Zhao, R. (2021). Best Practices in Working with Immigrant Children and Families in the Child Welfare System: A Scoping Review Protocol. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WUX3P

Lee, B., Ji, D. & O’Kane, M. (2021). Examining cross-cultural child welfare practice through simulation-based education. Clinical Social Work Journal, 42(2), 271-285. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-020-00783-8

Tufford, L., Lee, B., Bogo, M., Wenghofer, E., Etherington, C., Thieu, V. & Zhao, R. (2021). Decision-making and relationship competence when reporting suspected physical abuse and child neglect: An Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation. Clinical Social Work Journal, 42(2), 256-270.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-020-00785-6

Tufford, L., & Lee, B. (2020). Relationship repair strategies when reporting child abuse and neglect. Child and Adolescent Social Work, 2020(37), 335-249. doi: 10.1007/s10560-020-00656-6

Tufford, L., Bogo, M., Katz, E., Lee, B., & Ramjattan, R. (2019). Reporting suspected child maltreatment: Educating social work students in decision making and maintaining the relationship. Journal of Social Work Education. 55(2019), 579-595. doi: 10.1080/10437797.2019.1600442

Tufford, L., & Lee, B. (2019). Decision-making factors in the mandatory reporting of child maltreatment. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma. 2019(12), 233-244. doi: 10.1007/s40653-018-0211-2

Lee, B., Fuller Thomson, E., Fallon, B., & Trocmé, N., & Black, T. (2017). Asian-Canadian families involved in the child welfare system in Canada: A mixed methods study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 70 (2017), 342-355. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.06.022

Lee, B., Fuller Thomson, E., Black, T., Fallon, B., & Trocmé, N. (2017). Examining child welfare decisions and services for Asian-Canadian versus White-Canadian households in the child welfare system. Child Maltreatment, 22(2), 132-144. doi: 10.1177/1077559517690829

Bogo, M., Lee, B., McKee, E., Ramjattan, R., & Baird, S. (2017). Bridging class and field: Field instructors’ and liaisons’ reaction to information about students’ baseline performance derived from simulation interviews. Journal of Social Work Education. doi: 10.1080/10437797.2017.1283269

Lee, B., Fuller Thomson, E., Trocmé, N., Fallon, B., & Black, T. (2016). Delineating disproportionality and disparity of Asian-Canadian versus White-Canadian households in the child welfare system. Child and Youth Service Review, 70, 383-393. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.10.023

Fallon, B., Black, T., VanWert, M., King, B., Filipelli, J., Lee, B., & Moody, B. (2016). Child maltreatment-related service decisions by ethno-racial categories in Ontario in 2013. Toronto, ON: Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal.

Fallon, B., Van Wert, M., Trocmé, N., MacLaurin, B., Sinha, V., Lefevvre, R., Allan, K., Black, T., Lee, B., Rha, W., Smith, C., & Goel, S. (2015). Ontario incidence study of reported child abuse and neglect – 2013 (OIS-2013). Toronto, ON: Child Welfare Research Portal.

Bogo, M., Lee, B., McKee, E., Baird, S., & Ramjattan, R. (2015). Field instructors’ perceptions of foundation year students’ readiness to engage in field education. Social Work Education. doi: 10.1080/02615479.2015.1123689

Lee, B., Rha, W., & Fallon, B. (2014). Physical abuse and Asian families in the Canadian child welfare system. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma, 23(5), 532-551. doi: 10.1080/10926771.2014.904462

Bogo, M., Shlonsky, A., Lee, B., & Serbinski, S. (2014). Acting like it matters: A scoping review of child welfare training. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 7, 70-93. doi: 10.1080/15548732.2013.818610

Ma, J., Van Wert, M., Lee, B., Fallon, B., & Trocmé, N. (2013). Non-English/non-French speaking caregivers involved with the Canadian child welfare system: Findings from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2008). International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience, 1(1), 22-34.

Areas of Scholarship: Child welfare, ethno-cultural communities, mixed methods, quantitative methods, social work education using simulation

Areas of Practice: Child welfare, youth work, children and families, case management, quality assurance/improvement