Lenette Azzi-Lessing, MSW, PhD
Clinical Professor of Social Work; Chair, Specialization in Children, Youth and Families
Boston University , Boston, MA, USA
llessing@bu.edu
Education:
MSW Washington University
PhD Human Development and Family Studies, University of Connecticut
Lenette Azzi-Lessing is the author of Behind from the Start: How America's War on the Poor is Harming Our Most Vulnerable Children (2017, Oxford University Press). She returned to higher education after more than 25 years' experience as a social worker, administrator, and policy advocate. Her work focuses on improving the wellbeing and life chances of vulnerable, young children and their families, particularly those living in poverty and those involved in the child protective system. Before coming to Boston University Dr. Azzi-Lessing was a Professor of Social Work at Wheelock College and Director of its Graduate Certificate Program in Early Childhood Mental Health and faculty leader of the college's Partnership for Early Childhood Development in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
In 1989, Dr. Azzi-Lessing founded the Rhode Island Center for Children At-Risk to focus on meeting the needs of highly vulnerable young children and their families. Under her leadership the organization, which was re-named Children's Friend, developed nationally recognized programs serving children and families in Rhode Island's poorest communities. Dr. Azzi-Lessing is a member of the Child Welfare League of America's National Commission on Public Policy. She co-chaired the League's Committee on Prevention, Protection, and Family Preservation for several years and served on the advisory board to the National Center for In-Home Services for Children and Families. She has also served as an expert witness in federal court on behalf of children abused and neglected in the child protective system.
In 2017, Dr. Azzi-Lessing was named a Fulbright Specialist, to engage in diverse, collaborative projects focused on higher education and training in nations across the globe.
Selected Recent Publications and Presentations:
Schmidt, K. & Azzi-Lessing, L. (2020) Neglect of young children in South Africa: Implications for prevention, identification, and intervention. Child Welfare (in press).
Disrupting Poverty's Harmful Impacts on Children's Life Chances. (September 19, 2019) Webinar for the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities.
Providing Early Childhood Development Services to the Most Vulnerable Children and Families: Some Cross-National Considerations. (August 30, 2019) The Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town.
The Experiences of Early Childhood Development Home Visitors in the Eastern Cape of South Africa (With Kim Schmidt). (August 29, 2019). Association of South African Social Work Education Institutions, Annual Conference.
A Partnership for Building Capacity for Strengthening Families in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. (April 12, 2019) Presentation at Child Welfare League of America, Annual National Conference.
Improving Services to Families with Multiple Vulnerabilities: Programmatic and Policy Considerations. (April 12, 2019) Presentation at Child Welfare League of America, Annual National Conference.
Family Poverty and Child Maltreatment. (March 19, 2019) Presentation to Child Welfare League of America, National Commission for Policy and Practice.
Fighting Poverty in the New Normal. (July 17, 2018) Keynote presentation, Iowa Community Action Association Conference, Des Moines, IA.
Azzi-Lessing, L., & Schmidt, K. (2019) The experiences of early childhood development home visitors in South Africa. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 9(1).
Azzi-Lessing, L., & Schmidt, K. (2019). Child abuse and neglect: The response of early childhood development programmes. In A. Moodley, N. Sotuku, K. Schmidt, and N. Phatudi (Eds.), Early Childhood Care and Education (0–4): A Transdisciplinary Approach. South Africa: Oxford University Press.
Schmidt, K., Azzi-Lessing, L., & Moletsane, M. (2019). Responding to young children with behavioral, emotional, and learning challenges. In A. Moodley, N. Sotuku, K. Schmidt, and N. Phatudi (Eds.), Early Childhood Care and Education (0–4): A Transdisciplinary Approach. South Africa: Oxford University Press.
Behind from the Start: How America’s War on the Poor is Harming Our Most Vulnerable Children. (September 27, 2017). Online Book Discussion, National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University.
Poverty, Behavioral Health, and Early Care and Education. (May 10, 2017) Panelist, Harvard Medical School Leadership and Faculty Development Conference, Office of Diversity and Community Partnerships, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Azzi-Lessing, L. (2016) The Hidden Harms of Foster Care. “The Conversation” online magazine.
Azzi-Lessing, L. (2013). Serving highly vulnerable families in home-visitation programs. Infant Mental Health Journal, Vol. 34(5), 376–390.
Azzi-Lessing, L. (2011). Home-visitation programs: Critical Issues and future directions. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26, 387-398.
Azzi-Lessing, L. (2010). Meeting the mental health needs of poor and vulnerable children in early care and education settings. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 12(1).