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Michael Saini

Professor

Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Orcid identifier0000-0001-5475-4033
  • Professor
    Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
  • 416-946-5027 (Work)
  • 416-420-0097 (Mobile)

BIO

Michael A. Saini joined the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work in 2008 as an Assistant Professor. He is now a Professor and holds the endowed Factor-Inwentash Chair in Law and Social Work, and is the Co-Director of the Combined J.D. and M.S.W. program with the Law Faculty.

Michael’s scholarship addresses the intersections of law and social work and the advancement of children and families’ well-being in systems governed by law. Michael has generated new knowledge regarding the assessment of co-parenting; the complexity of strained parent-child relationships; the impact of interparental conflict; the use of technology to support parent-child relationships; the crossover cases of child protection and child custody disputes; and social-work perspectives on the law as a socially embedded phenomenon.

For 19 years, Michael conducted parenting plan evaluations and assisted children’s counsel for the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, Ministry of the Attorney General in Ontario. Michael has over 200 publications, including books, book chapters, government reports, systematic reviews and peer-reviewed journal articles.

In 2019, Michael was awarded the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts’ Stanley Cohen Distinguished Research Award, sponsored by the Oregon Family Institute.

Media availability: TV, Radio, Print/Online

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Associate Professor
    University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Canada2013 - present
  • Co-Director, Combined JD/MSW Program
    University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Canada2013 - present
  • Factor-Inwentash Chair in Law and Social Work
    University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Canada2013 - present

NON-ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Private practice (parenting coaching, custody evaluation, consultation, expert testimony)
    Pathways to CoParenting, Canada2003 - present
  • Consultant
    National Centre of State Courts2017 - present
  • Consultant
    Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre2017 - present
  • Consultant
    Blue Hills Child and Family Centre York Region2014 - present
  • Consultant
    Peel Children’s Aid Society2016 - present
  • Consultant
    Nebraska State Court Administrator’s Office2016 - present
  • Clinical Agent
    Office of the Children’s Lawyer, Ministry of the Attorney General2004 - present

DEGREES

  • Ph.D.
    University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
  • MSW
    University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
  • BSW
    Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Canada
  • BA
    Nipissing University, North Bay, Canada
  • BA
    Laurentian University, Greater Sudbury, Canada

AVAILABILITY

  • Industry Projects
  • Media enquiries
  • Masters Research or PhD student supervision

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