Rate My Professor Kerry Maxfield

Ms Kerry Maxfield is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Work and Social Care within the College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences at Adelaide University. Passionate about human rights and social justice in her professional life and teaching future social workers and human service workers, she embodies the principle that 'the standard you walk by is the standard you accept'. Maxfield holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Adelaide and is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor to the Supreme Court of South Australia. Her extensive career in social work includes senior positions in child protection services in the State of Hawaii, USA, and South Australian mental health services. She has worked internationally with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the American University in Cairo, Egypt, and the Australian Defence Force, primarily leading and managing teams, conducting statutory work, and supporting individuals through trauma and life's upheavals. Previously, she served as a teaching academic and senior lecturer at the University of South Australia in the Justice and Society Unit.

Maxfield's research interests include social work and the law, social justice and human rights, mental health and the recovery model, professional development, and student engagement. Her key publications feature 'Being in Court: Engaging Social Work Students in a Real-Life Context of Witnessing General Magistrate Court Hearings in South Australia' (Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 2026, with Zufferey and Maddison), 'Engaging Social Work Students in a Drug Intervention Treatment Court Experience: A University–Court Partnership' (Australian Social Work, 2026, with Zufferey and Maddison), 'Raising the age of criminal responsibility: advocates perspectives and an urgent call for action' (Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education Journal, 2023, with Maddison and Zufferey), 'Teaching sensitive material: A multi-disciplinary perspective' (ERGO: The Journal of the Education Research Group of Adelaide, 2017, with Heath et al.), and the chapter 'Sleepy drivers die: when a safety slogan is also an ethical concern' in The Elements of Ethical Practice: Applied Psychology Ethics in Australia (2019, with Gilbert et al.). She has presented at conferences including the Co-Constructing Excellence in University Learning and Teaching International Conference (University of Hong Kong, 2018) and the AASW National Symposium (Hobart, 2017). Maxfield was appointed deputy chair of the UniSA Human Research Ethics Committee in 2018 and served as Acting Chair during periods from 2019 to 2025. She teaches courses such as Human Service Workers and the Law, Communication Skills in Social Work and Human Services, and Mental Health and Social Work Practice.