Tara Collins

Tara Collins is an Associate Professor in the School of Child and Youth Care at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada, and Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town’s Children’s Institute in South Africa. She holds academic affiliations with the graduate programs in Immigration & Settlement Studies, Early Childhood Studies, and Policy Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her professional background includes roles in Canadian federal government (Foreign Affairs and CIDA), parliamentary work, and non-governmental organizations across Canada, South Africa, Brazil, and Ireland.

Dr. Collins earned her PhD from the University of London. Her research focuses on child and youth participation, child protection, monitoring frameworks, and child rights impact assessments (CRIAs), emphasizing the interplay between participatory approaches and protection outcomes. She leads the International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership (ICCRP), a collaborative initiative involving universities globally and organizations like Equitas and Save the Children Canada. The ICCRP examines how children’s participation can be effectively monitored in child protection contexts, guided by an international Child and Youth Advisory Committee.

Her academic contributions span child rights education, anti-violence efforts in schools, and rights-based approaches to business and international development. Awards include the 2017 Dean’s Teaching Award (Faculty of Community Services) and the 2015 Knowledge Mobilization and Engagement Award. Her work integrates interdisciplinary perspectives and global partnerships to advance children’s rights through policy, research, and education.