King's supports helping professionals through community-focused training
Through the King’s Community Support Centre (KCSC), King’s recently welcomed more than 200 helping professionals to a two-day training event designed to support those working with vulnerable populations across the region.
Offered free of charge, the workshops focused on personal and professional development for participants working in mental health, homelessness services and other community-based roles supporting people facing complex challenges. Many helping professionals experience moral distress and have limited access to training and support, making opportunities like this especially valuable.
M.K. Arundel, director of the KCSC, hopes to create more training opportunities for the London community. She believes events like these bring helping professionals together and strengthen the important work they do. “This is our second event, and judging by the participation and engagement, there’s obviously a need in the community for this kind of support,” says Arundel.
Recognizing the realities of frontline work, organizers offered sessions across two days, with morning and afternoon options to accommodate shift schedules and improve accessibility. Participants engaged in knowledge-sharing and hands-on activities designed to build resilience, strengthen skills and foster peer connections.
“It was great connecting with the community organizations we work closely with, learning different concepts, and hearing that other organizations are struggling with the same things we’re struggling with,” says Tom Fountain, Coordinated Informed Response (CIR) supervisor for the City of London.
The workshop drew on the expertise of leaders in social work research and practice. Dr. Jane Sanders, associate professor and interim director and graduate chair of the School of Social Work at King’s, brings more than 30 years of clinical experience working with children, youth and families. As lead researcher for SAFE and the “Checking in on the Frontlines” study in partnership with KCSC, her work focuses on mental health, trauma and the systemic challenges affecting both clients and those who support them.
Dr. Sanders was joined by Paige Logan, MSW ’25, a KCSC social work programs assistant, whose experience includes homelessness, harm reduction and mental health, and Lena Burton, housing programs coordinator at Atlohsa Family Healing Services, who brings frontline expertise in housing, homelessness and addiction support.
King’s social work students completing practicum placements with KCSC also played key roles in organizing the event as part of their experiential learning. Together, the facilitators and event organizers helped connect research and frontline practice, grounding the workshops in both lived experience and evidence-informed approaches.
Jennifer Tavera, a caseworker working with Ontario Works, recognized the importance of trauma-informed education, which motivated her to participate in the training event. “When we work with [vulnerable] communities, we need to treat them with dignity and respect. Part of this means recognizing our own trauma to provide the best quality care and service. The more we learn, the more we are equipped to help others,” she says.
This initiative reflects King’s commitment to stewardship and the common good by supporting those who care for some of the community’s most vulnerable members. By creating space for learning, connection, and renewal, King’s and KCSC are helping strengthen the capacity and well-being of the local social service workforce.
As both a learning institution and community partner, King’s continues to invest in initiatives that foster inclusion, excellence, and meaningful impact, ensuring that helping professionals are supported not in isolation, but as part of a broader community committed to care and change.