Travonne Edwards

Dr. Travonne Edwards is an assistant professor in the School of Child and Youth Care at Toronto Metropolitan University. He currently holds a PhD of Social Work from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work program at the University of Toronto, an advanced diploma in Child and Youth Care (CYC) from Sheridan College, and a Bachelor and Master of Arts in CYC from Toronto Metropolitan University.  

Dr. Edwards is an experienced critical and community-based youth worker with a demonstrated history of working in various social services related settings including child welfare and protection, education and supportive housing for youth experiencing homelessness. 
  
Dr. Edwards has been awarded the Doctoral Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) award, (external link)  a Partnership Engage Grant SSHRC award (external link) , and the Connaught for Public Impact Fellowship (external link)  for his research efforts. His program of research aims to understand how state systems operate and how Black communities experiences them to one day improve their realities and outcomes. His research currently partners with the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies' One Vision One Voice, which is a program led by the Black community to address the overrepresentation and disparities faced by Black Canadians.

• CYC 101: Child and Youth Care 101 
• CYC 602: Children’s Rights 
• CYC 201: Child Abuse and Neglect 
• CYC 805: Program Development 

Research interests: 

• Racial disparities for families in child welfare
• Coping mechanism of Black survivors of homicide violence 
• Cannabis usage for youth
• Medication adherance of Black men who have sex with men (BMSM)
• Youth wellness

Journal articles:

• Escobar Olivo, V., Edwards, T., Laylor, A., Parada, H., McDermott, T., & Swardh, K. (accepted). Performative youth work: The staging of care for Black youth in out-of-home care in Ontario’s child welfare system. Journal of Progressive Human Services: Radical Thought & Praxis.
• Sharpe, T.L., Edwards, T., Mann, N., Lee, Y., Bonomo, A., & Donkin, V. (2024). Exploring research on the coping strategies of Black survivors of homicide victims: A scoping review. Homicide Studies, 0(0). DOI:10.1177/10887679241277126
• Kourgiantakis, T., Vicknarajah, R., Logan, J., Edwards, T., Lee, E., Craig, S., Marshall, S. & Williams, C.C. (2024). Cannabis Use in Youth in Canada: A Scoping Review Since Legalization. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 19(1), 1-24. DOI:10.1186/s13011-024-00615-9
• Quinn, K., Walsh, J., Johnson, A., Edwards, T., Takahashi L., Dakin, A., Bouacha N., Voisin D. (2024). Police violence experienced by Black gay and bisexual men. The effects on HIV care engagement and medication adherence. Aids and Behaviour, 1-8. DOI:10.1007/s10461-024-04278-2
• Quinn, K., Walsh, J., DiFranceisco, W., Edwards, T., Takahashi L., Johnson, A., Dakin, A., Bouacha N., Voisin, D. (2023). The inherent violence of anti-Black racism and its effects on HIV care for Black sexually minoritized men. Journal of Urban Health, 23-30. DOI:10.1007/s11524-023-00823-x
• Edwards, T., Clarke. M. K.*, & Laylor, A*. (2023). “It’s not a system of care”: Black youth’s stories of family separation and anti-Black racism in Ontario’s child welfare system. Journal of Black Studies, 55(3), 232-252. DOI:10.1177/00219347231220677
• Edwards, T., Brisbane, M*., Laylor, A*., Chowdhury, R*., Parada, H., & King, B. (2023). “I wasn’t enrolled”: Exploring the educational narratives of Black Caribbean youth navigating out-of-home care in Ontario’s child welfare system. Child and Adolescent Social Work. DOI:10.1007/s10560-023-00955-8
• Edwards, T., Laylor, A*., King, B., & Parada, H. (2023). When home reminds me of jail: The carceral nature of out-of-home care for Black youth in Ontario’s child welfare system. Children and Youth Services Review, 155, 1-9. DOI:10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107309
• Quinn, K., Edwards, T., Johnson, A., Takahashi, L., Dakin, A., Bouacha., N., & Voisin, D. (2023). “The system was never made for us”: Understanding the impact of police brutality on Black sexually minoritized men. Social Science and Medicine, 334, 1-10. DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116191
• Edwards, T., McManamna, N., & King, B. (2023). The absence of language: A critical race discourse analysis of Ontario’s child welfare legislation and the impacts on Black families. Child Abuse & Neglect, 143,106249–106249. DOI:10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106249
• Edwards, T., Chowdhury, R*., Laylor, A*., Parada, H., & King, B. (2023). Pushed, dropped, or fleeing from care: The narratives and adultification of Black youth who have aged out of Ontario’s child welfare system. Child & Youth Services, 1–31. DOI:10.1080/0145935X.2023.2173565
• Quinn, K. G., Edwards, T., Johnson, A., Spector, A., Takahashi, L., Dakin, A., Bouacha, N., Valadez-Tapia, S., & Voisin, D. (2023). “The fight is two times as hard”: A qualitative examination of a violence syndemic among young Black sexual minority men. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(12-14), 8162-8186. DOI:10.1177/08862605231153891
• Begun, S., Mayorga, B., Bautista, C., Cooke, K., Edwards, T., King, B., Olaosebikan, H., & Whyte, R. (2022). “No one has an advantage or disproportionate power”: Strengthening youth-adult partnerships through improv”. Journal of Youth Development, 17(4), 117-125. DOI: 10.0.20.75/jyd.2022.1268
• Voisin, D. R., Edwards, T., Takahashi, L. M., Valadez-Tapia, S., Shah, H., Oselett, C., Bouacha, N., Dakin, A., & Quinn, K. (2023). COVID-19, Retention in HIV care, and access to ancillary services for young Black men living with HIV in Chicago. AIDS and Behavior, 27(2), 535–544. DOI:10.1007/s10461-022-03789-0
• Edwards, T., Sharpe, T. L., Sibblis, C., McPolland, M., Bonomo, A., & DeVylder, J. (2022). Civilian perceptions of police: A thematic analysis of non-physical encounters with law enforcement. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 33(6), 766-778. DOI: 10.1080/10911359.2022.2106001
• Kourgiantakis, T., Edwards, T., Lee, E., Logan, J., Vicknarajah, R., Craig, S., Simon-Tucker, M. & Williams, C.C. (2022). Cannabis use among youth in Canada: A scoping review protocol. BMJ Open, 12(6), 1-5. DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061997
• Edwards, T., King, B., Risidore, J., & Parada, H. (2022). Many households but never a home: Stories of resistance from Black youth navigating placement instability in Ontario’s child welfare system. Journal of Youth Studies, 25(5), 1–21. DOI:10.1080/13676261.2022.2080539
• Edwards, T., Sharpe, T. L., Bonomo, A., & Massaquoi, N. (2021). Exploring the research on the coping strategies of Black survivors of homicide victims: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open, 11(11), 1-5. DOI:10.1136/ bmjopen-2021-049784
• Mohamud, F., Edwards, T., Anti-Boasiako, K., William, K., King, J., Igor, E., & King, B. (2021). Racial disparity in the Ontario child welfare system: Conceptualizing policies and practices that drive involvement for Black families. Children and Youth Services Review, 120, 1-13. DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105711
• Akuoku-Barfi, C., McDermott, T., Parada, H., & Edwards, T. (2021). “We were in white homes as Black children”: Caribbean youth's stories of out-of-home care in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 32(3), 212-242. DOI:10.1080/10428232.2021.1931649
• Edwards, T., Hussain, A., Sato, C., King, J., Sani, M., & King, B (2020). Racial disproportionality and disparities for Black families involved with the child welfare system: a scoping review protocol. Social Science Protocols, 3(2020), 11-12. DOI:10.7565/ssp.v3.4949
• Edwards, T. (2019). Why are we so Black? A review of the literature on the educational experiences of Black youth in Ontario’s child welfare system. Relational Child and Youth Care Practice, 34(2), 102-114. Retrieved from https://www.rcycp.com/docs/RCYCP_Vol34-2_sample.pdf#page=102
• Edwards, T. (2018). Redefining policies: Black youth participation and critical civic praxis. CYC-Online The International Child and Youth Care Network, 230, 47–53. Retrieved from http://www.cyc-net.org/cyc-online/ apr2018.pdf
• Edwards, T., Gaidhu, A. (2018). Child and Youth Care Praxis: theory to practice or theory vs practice. CYC-Online The international Child and Youth Care Network, 12(2), 380–404. DOI: 10.32920/23541483.v1

Chapters in Edited Books

• Edwards, T., & Parada, H. (2022). Black Youth Disengaging from Ontario’s Educational System: Grounded Theory of their Educational Experiences. In K. C. Tilleczek and D. Macdonald. Youth, Education and Wellbeing in the Americas (pp. 118 – 137). Routledge (UK): Taylor & Francis. DOI: 10.4324/9781003029021-7
• Hasford, J., Amponsah, P., Edwards, T., & Stephen, J. (2020). Towards a Framework of African-Centered Child and Youth Care Praxis. In K. Gharabhaghi and G. Charles (Eds.), Child and Youth Care Across Sectors: Canadian Perspectives (pp. 43 – 59). Canadian Scholars.

Technical Reports

• Price, N., Edwards, T., McKoy, Taeja., Aurora, M., Shaw, T., Olubowale, O., & Amponsah, E. (2024, April). Understanding Black Youth Homelessness: Research for a Comprehensive Housing Model [unpublished report]. 360 Kids.
• Edwards, T., Laylor, A*., Chowdhury, R*., Smith, C., Houston, E., & King, B. (2023). Mapping Disparities for Black Families Project: Preliminary Findings Report [unpublished report]. Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies One Vision One Voice.
• Bonnie, N & Facey, K with support from King, B., Fallon, B., Joh-Carnella, N., Edwards, T., Kagan-Cassidy, M., Black, T., William, K., Patrick-Drakes, V & Anucha, C. (2022). Understanding the over-representation of Black children in Ontario child welfare services. (Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2018). Toronto, ON: Child Welfare Research Portal.
• Anti-Black Racism Task Force. (2021). Report of the University of Toronto Anti-Black Racism Task Force. University of Toronto.
• Hasford, J., Clarke, J., Munroe, T., & Edwards, T. (2019). Evidence of what works to promote mental health among African, Caribbean and Black Canadians through action on institutional discrimination in the education, legal, and child welfare systems: A rapid review [unpublished report]. Public Health Agency of Canada.

Factsheets

• William, K., Risidore, J., Edwards, T., & King, B. (2020). Police involvement in child maltreatment investigations Ontario in 2018. CWRP information sheet #212E. Toronto, ON: Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal.
• Risidore, J., Edwards, T., & King, B. (2020). Characteristics of placements in out of home care during investigations in Ontario in 2018. CWRP information sheet #209E. Toronto, ON: Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal.
• Risidore, J., Edwards, T., & King, B. (2020). Placement in out of home care during investigations in Ontario in 2018. CWRP Information Sheet #203E. Toronto, ON: Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal.

(* Denotes student authors)

• Sharon and Larry Enkin Community Leadership Award, University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, 2022.
• Richard ‘Dick’ Weiler Scholarship, University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, 2020.
• John (Jack) H. Zimmerman Bursary, University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, 2020.