Skip to Main Content
You are now in the main content area

Jennifer Martin

Associate Dean, Scholarly, Research and Creative Activity, Faculty of Community Services and Professor, School of Child and Youth Care
EducationPhD
OfficeRoom SHE-697, Sally Horsfall Eaton Centre for Studies in Community Health
Phone416-979-5000, ext. 556314
Areas of ExpertiseTrauma; Child sexual abuse; Child sexual abuse images online (CSAIO); Child trafficking and sexual exploitation; Online relational practice

I am associate dean, scholarly, research and creative (SRC) activity at the Faculty of Community Services and professor in the School of Child and Youth Care. I hold a PhD in social work from the University of Toronto. Prior to coming to the university, I spent over 25 years as a practitioner working in the education, children’s mental health, and youth homelessness sectors in direct service, supervisory and consulting positions. I have extensive experience as a clinical therapist working with children and their families providing trauma assessments and treatment.                 

As associate dean, I continue to maintain an active SRC agenda in which I continually engage and mentor graduate students as members of my research teams. My program of research and scholarship focuses on trauma, online child sexual abuse, and exploitation and child sex trafficking. As principal investigator (PI), I have been the recipient of four Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) awards. I was also PI on two national research projects funded by the Department of Justice and a five-year project funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. My research and professional work before my academic career have necessitated successful engagement with policymakers at all levels of the government. Through this work I have developed an international reputation among policymakers as a leader in my field and am frequently approached as an expert consultant. This has included consulting with Public Safety Canada and the Home Office in London, UK. In my work with the Home Office, I have been engaging via roundtable discussions in a collaborative effort to address online child exploitation between the Canadian and British governments.

Research

Research Projects:

  • SSHRC Insight Grant, 2024. Reclaiming our lost children: Pathways to detection, recovery and service provision for youth sex trafficked in Canada. (Co-Applicants: R. Alaggia, J. Martin, G. Dimitropoulos, N. Parker; K. MacNeil, K. Yama) - $250,000 (Submitted)
  • CIHR Project Grant, 2024. Co-Creating Innovative KT Tools for Parents to Prevent Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. (Co-PIs: N. Punjani, L. Hartling, B. Salami, L. Milne, J. Martin, F. Bandali, D. Collin-Vexina) - $330,000 (Submitted)
  • SSHRC Connection Grant, 2024. Child Sex Trafficking and Online Child Sexual Exploitation: The Way Forward – A Shared Responsibility. (Co-PIs: J. Martin, R, Sinclair) - $24,601
  • Department of Justice Canada, Government of Canada, 2021. Understanding the Impact of the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Counselling Program in Ontario. (PI: J. Martin) - $35,000
  • Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, 2021. (Anti-Human Trafficking Community Supports Fund). A Way Forward: Supporting Young Victims of Human Trafficking. (Co-PIs: J. Martin, L. Jolie) -  $938,600
  • SSHRC Partnership Grant, 2021. International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership. (Co-Applicant: N. Blanchet-Cohen, V. Caputo, T. Collins, P. Cuevas-Parra, A. Di Santo, H. Doel-Mackaway, J. Finlay, M. Herczog, L. Jameison, J. Kovarikova, J. Martin, I. Rizzini, M. Ruiz-Casares, J. Tabak, K. Tisdall, L. van Blerk, C. Whelan, L. Wright) - $2,500,000
  • SSHRC Partnership Grant (Letter of Intent), 2020. International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership. (Co-PIs: C. Caputo, T. Collins, A. Di Santo, J. Finlay, M. Herczog, L. Jameison, J. Kovarikova, L. Lundy, J. Martin, I. Rizzini, M. Ruiz-Casares, K. Tisdall, L. van Blerk, C. Whelan, L. Wright) - $25,000
  • Department of Justice Canada, Government of Canada, 2019. Gap Analysis of Services for Victims and Survivors of Online Child Sexual Exploitation in Canada. (PI: J. Martin) - $22,000
  • Public Health Agency of Canada, Innovation Strategy, 2016-2022. Trauma-Informed Dance Intervention for Youth Who Have Experienced Child Abuse and/or Domestic Violence. (Co-PIs: K. Kennedy, J. Martin) - $1,140,736
  • SSHRC Partnership Development Grant, 2015-2018. Child Sexual Abuse Images Online: Identifying and Addressing Knowledge Gaps and Multilevel Barriers to Cross-Sectoral Responses. (PI: J. Martin) - $142,707
  • SSHRC Connection Grant, 2014. Child Sexual Abuse Images Online: Confronting the Problem – Research, Policy, Practice. (PI: J. Martin) - $16,840
  • SSHRC Doctoral Thesis/U of T, 2008-2013. Out of Focus: Exploring Practitioners’ Understanding of Child Sexual Abuse Images on the Internet. - $40,000
  • SSHRC Master’s Thesis/U of T, 2005-2007. Child Victims and Non-Offending Mothers’ Experience of the Criminal Justice System in Cases of Intra-Familial Child Sexual Abuse. - $17,500

Expert Consultations:

  • Expert Consultant. Annabel Oromoni, Behind the Numbers: Understanding the Data on Child Trafficking in Canadian Foster Care, Harvard University, 2024.
  • Expert Consultant. Sabrina Page, Disrupting Harm: UNICEF, University of Edinburgh, 2024.
  • Expert Consultant and Reviewer. Human Trafficking Intake Assessment Screening Tool. Sakeenah Canada, 2024.
  • Expert Consultant and Panelist. Webinar: Online Safety and Human Trafficking. Sakeenah Canada, 2024.
  • Expert Consultant and Panelist. Webinar Series: Addressing the Root Causes of Human Trafficking in Youth. Public Safety Canada, 2023.
  • Expert Consultant. Katharina Thon, Programme and Capacity Building Officer, Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Vienna, Austria, 2022.
  • Expert Consultant. Charlotte Hudson, Senior Intelligence Analyst, National Assessment Centre - Vulnerabilities Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation, National Crime Agency, United Kingdom, 2022.
  • Expert Consultation. The United States Department of Justice, National Strategy for Child Exploitation and Interdiction and Rita Farrell, Director,  Child First Forensic Interviewing Protocol, 2022.
  • Global Experts Roundtable Panel Member. WeProtect Global Alliance and End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT) International. Amplifying the Voices of Survivors of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Online: Global Expert Roundtable, 2021.
  • Expert Consultation and Trainer. Province of Ontario Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy, Ministry of Child, Community and Social Services, 2021-current.
  • Expert Reviewer and Consultation. David Finkelhor & Kim Mitchell Lema. Crimes Against Children Research Centre, University of New Hampshire, National Institute of Justice, USA. Improving the Response to Victims of Child Sexual Exploitation Materials: A Multi-Method, Multi-Informant National Study, 2021.
  • Expert Reviewer and Consultation. Gelder, Gingras & Associates for Public Safety Canada, Ottawa, ON. Government of Canada. Examining Key Populations in the Context of Implementing Cyber Bullying Prevention and Intervention Initiatives, 2021.
  • Expert Consultation. Provincial Anti-Trafficking Coordination Office, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. Specialized Human Trafficking Training, 2021.
  • Expert Consultation. The Home Office – Government of the United Kingdom, London, UK. Protecting and Responding to Online Child Sexual Exploitation, 2019.
  • Expert Consultation. Public Safety Canada. Government of Canada. Learning Event: Survivors of Online Child Sexual Exploitation: Current Research on Impacts and Outcomes, 2019.
  • Expert Consultation. The Home Office – Government of the United Kingdom, London, UK. Protecting and Responding to Online Child Sexual Exploitation, 2018.
  • Expert Consultation. Assistant Deputy Minister of the Community Safety and Countering Crime Branch at Public Safety Canada, Government of Canada. National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet: CSE Consultation, 2018.
  • Expert Reviewer and Consultation. Gelder, Gingras & Associates for Public Safety Canada, Ottawa, ON. Government of Canada. Evaluation of a Cyberbullying Prevention/Intervention Initiative: Evaluation Report, 2016-2017.
  • Expert Consultant to the International Justice Ministry, Washington, DC. Aftercare Successful Outcomes Program. Expert Review of Desk Review Guide; ASO Internal Validation Reports, ASO Guidance Manual and relevant forms with regard to how well IJM materials address victims of online child exploitation. Report submitted 2016.
  • Expert Reviewer. Gelder, Gingras & Associates for Public Safety Canada, Government of Canada. Final Report: Environmental Scan and Gap Analysis: Online and Technology Facilitated Child Sexual Exploitation.

  • Rimer, J., Brown, S., Martin, J., & Slane, A. (Submitted June 2024). “Once you see it you can’t unsee it”: Law enforcement trauma and immersion in child sexual abuse material. Child Protection and Practice.
  • Martin, J., & Slane, A. (2022). Review of the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Counselling Program in Ontario (external link) . Victims of Crime Research Digest, 15.
  • Martin, J., Slane, A., Brown, S., & Hahn, K. (submitted). Review of the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Counselling Program in Ontario. Department of Justice Canada.
  • Schwind, J., Beanlands, H., McCay, E., Wang, A., Binder, M., Aksenchuk, S., & Martin, J. (2021). Mindful practices to support university faculty sense of wellbeing and enhance their teaching-learning scholarship: A mixed method pilot study. Journal of further and Higher Education, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1895092
  • Slane, A., Martin, J., Rimer, J. (2021). Views and Attitudes About Youth Self-Produced Sexual Images Among Professionals with Expertise in Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 30(2), 207-229. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2021.1875095
  • Marshall, N., & Martin, J. (2018). Simulation innovation in cyberspace: A collaborative approach to learning and teaching in child and youth care education. Papers on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching, 3.
  • Slane, A., Martin, J., Rimer, J., Eke, A., Sinclair, R., Charles, G., & Quayle, E. (2018). Professionals’ perspectives on viewing child sexual abuse images to improve response to victims. Canadian Review of Sociology – Special Issue: Internet and Sexual Violence Against Children and Adolescents, 55(4), 579-596. https://doi.org/10.1111/cars.12223

  • Lapum, J., Martin, J., Kennedy, K., Turcotte, C., Gregory, H. (2018). Sole expression: Trauma-informed dance intervention. Special Issue: The Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma, 28(5), 566-580. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2018.1544182

  • Schwind, J. K., McCay, E., Beanlands, H., Schindel Martin, L., Martin, J., & Binder, M. (2017). Mindfulness practice as a teaching-learning strategy in higher education: A qualitative exploratory pilot study. Nurse Education Today, 50, 92-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.12.017

  • Waddell, J., Martin, J., Lapum, J., & Schwind, J. (2017). A faculty-based mentorship circle: positioning new faculty members for success. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 46(4), 60-75.

  • Schwind, J., McCay, B., Metersky, K., & Martin, J. (2016). Development and implementation of an advanced therapeutic communication course: An interprofessional collaboration. Journal of Nursing Education, 55(10), 592-597.
  • Martin, J. (2016). Child Sexual Abuse Images Online: Implications for Social Work Training and Practice. British Journal of Social Work, 46(2), 372-388. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcu116
  • Martin, J. (2015). Conceptualizing the Harms Done to Children In Sexual Abuse Images Online. Child & Youth Services, 36(4), 267-287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0145935X.2015.1092832
  • Martin, J., & Slane, A. (2015). Child Sexual Abuse Images Online: Confronting the Problem. Guest Editorial in Special Issue: Child Sexual Abuse Images Online: Confronting the Problem – Research, Policy, Practice. Child & Youth Services, 36 (4), 261-266. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0145935X.2015.1092828
  • Delay, D. & Martin, J. (2015). Developing Facilitator Self-Awareness: Introducing Mindfulness Practices to the Helping Classroom. In W. Pelech, K. Ring & S. LaRocque, (Eds.), Unity in Diversity: Embracing the Spirit of  Group Work. Proceedings of the 36th Annual Symposium of the International Association for Social Work with Groups. London: Whiting & Birch Ltd. p. 20-34.
  • Martin, J. (2014). “It’s Just an Image, Right?”: Practitioners’ Understanding of Child Sexual Abuse Images Online and Effects on Victims (external link) . Child & Youth Services, 35(2). 96-115. This article has been selected for inclusion in the following online database: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
  • Martin, J. (2013). Commentary: The Politics of Fear. Child & Youth Services, 34(1), 5-8.
  • Martin, J., & Alaggia, R. (2013). Sexual Abuse Images in Cyberspace: Expanding the Ecology of the Child. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 22(4). (This article has been selected for inclusion in the following online databases: 1) National Children’s Advocacy Center. Child Pornography – Victims, Victimizers, and Victimization: A Selected Bibliography; and 2) National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
Library Online (external link) .
  • Martin, J. (2013). Out of Focus: Exploring Practitioners’ Understanding of Child Sexual Abuse Images on the Internet.  University of Toronto Libraries, Toronto, Ontario.
  • Martin, J., & Stuart, C. (2011). Working with Cyberspace in the Life-space. Relational Child and Youth Care: Special Journal, 24(1/2), 55-66.
  • Martin, J. (2004). Peer Counselling in Secondary Schools. In B. Rusk, J. Shaw, P. Joong (Eds.), The Full Service School.  The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation Press. Toronto: ON. p. 26-35.

  • Trauma-Informed Practice
  • Online Relational Practice in Child and Youth Care
  • Advanced Therapeutic Interventions
  • Ecological Approaches to Child and Youth Care Practice
  • Child Abuse and Neglect
  • Psycho-Educational Support Programming

  • Dean’s Teaching Award, Faculty of Community Services, 2016
  • Dennis Mock Leadership Award, 2003
  • Status of Women Award: Community Impact, Professional Student Services Personnel, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, 2002