Call for Special Interest Group (SIG) Meetings

March 6, 2023: Abstract Submission Site Now Open!

SIG Submission Deadline: Saturday, April 15, 2023, 11:59pm, Pacific Time

The Society for Social Work and Research special interest groups (SIGs) facilitate networking opportunities for conference attendees to discuss specific social work research, policy, or practice in greater depth. We are now accepting requests to convene a SIG meeting (new or existing) to be held as part of the SSWR 2024 Annual Conference. As you may know, especially those of you who have held SIG meetings at SSWR over the years, the SIGs are an important component of the annual conference. SSWR will provide a meeting space for your SIG.

  • View How to Request a SIG Meeting
  • View SIG Policies and Development Guidelines
  • View Requirements for All SIG Requests
  • View SSWR Governance Structure and SIGs
  • View Thinking about forming a SIG? Watch this SIG Virtual Panel as a start!
  • View SIG Meetings Held Previously at SSWR Annual Conference

HOW TO REQUEST A SIG MEETING
To facilitate the meetings of special interest groups (SIGs), it is necessary that all pre-existing and new SIGs submit a request to convene a SIG. Please see the list below for SIGs held previously. If you would like to convene one of these SIGs or convene a new SIG, please complete the online form (which will be available the week of March 6) by Saturday, April 15, 2023, 11:59pm, Pacific Time. If we do not hear from you by this date, we will assume that the SIG you are associated with does not plan to convene during the 2024 annual conference.

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG) POLICIES AND DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES
The SSWR Research Capacity Development Committee (RCDC) hosted a webinar in January 2021, in which SIG conveners were invited to participate. Watch the video here. The purpose of the webinar was to provide new SIG conveners with an introduction to SIGs and provide all SIG conveners with ideas for the development and expansion of their SIGs and begin to develop a network of SIG conveners. Please note that SIG meetings for the 2024 annual conference will be held in-person in Washington, DC.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL SIG REQUESTS
SSWR, as part of its governance structure, has legal responsibility for SIG meetings at the conference and SIGs which meet at the SSWR annual conference are “committees.” The convener/co-conveners of the SIG will serve as chair/co-chair of the committee.

SIG requests must include the following information.

  • Basic information (e.g., SIG name, convener and co-conveners, anticipated SIG attendance)
  • Activities (e.g., SIG meetings in addition to those held at SSWR, communications to SIG attendees)
  • Legal status (is the SIG affiliated with any other organization or entity?)
  • Description (e.g., 100-word description of your SIG)

SIG convener/co-convener requirements include:

  • Membership – all conveners/co-conveners must be current members of SSWR when they request the SIG and must be current members for the 2024 membership year (January 1 – December 31, 2024).
  • Registration – all conveners/co-conveners must register for the conference.
  • Conveners must complete a post-conference report (e.g., provide the number of attendees and a narrative summary of your SIG meeting). A separate questionnaire will be sent to you after your SIG meeting, which must be completed within 30 days of your meeting.

SSWR Governance Structure and SIGs
The SIGs are committees within SSWR’s governance structure. (See SSWR Bylaws, Article V. Committees, Section 16 at https://sswr.org/about-sswr/bylaws/.)

SSWR SIGs may not use SSWR’s name in ways that create legal liabilities or results in income for the SIG or its members. SIGs may not make statements on behalf of SSWR or enter into any contractual agreements, memos of understanding, etc. SIGs may not make a statement in support of any national, state, or local legislation; such a statement constitutes lobbying. SSWR is an IRS 501(c)3 non-profit organization and may not lobby.

These activities may not be undertaken without explicit approval by the SSWR Board of Directors. To request more information, please contact Jennifer Lewis by email at lewis@sswr.org.

SIG conveners and attendees must adhere to SSWR’s Anti-Harassment Policy and Code of Ethics and Procedures for Review of Member Conduct (https://sswr.org/about-sswr/sswr-anti%e2%80%91harassment-policy/)

SIGs may use the SSWR logo in their materials; for approval contact Jennifer Lewis by email at lewis@sswr.org.

Thinking about forming a SIG? Watch this SIG Virtual Panel as a start!
The Society for Social Work and Research Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are an important component of the annual conference but vary greatly in terms of their development and activities across the calendar year. The virtual panel (held 1/26/21) aimed to provide an opportunity for SIG conveners, or those who may be interested in developing a SIG in the future, to meet, network, and learn from the experiences of three long-running SIGs through a panel-style discussion and question and answer session. Panelists discussed their experiences developing SIGs, insights into the challenges and opportunities, and tips for organizers.

IMPORTANT: Failure to adhere to these requirements will impact future SIG requests.

The SIGs will be scheduled for either Friday (January 12), 7:00 am – 8:00, am, 12:45 pm – 1:45 pm, or Saturday (January 13), 7:00 am – 8:00, am, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm. Due to the complexity of the schedule we cannot consider scheduling requests. Meeting space is limited. We will confirm your request via e-mail by mid-November 2023. Confirmed SIGs will be listed in the conference program and will indicate the meeting room assignment.

SIG Meetings Held Previously at SSWR Annual Conference
Abolitionist Social Work
Acamamas: Academic Mothers
Addictive Behaviors and Substance Misuse SIG
Advanced Illness, Palliative and End of Life Care
Advancing Long and Productive Lives (Grand Challenge)
Afghanistan Veterans and Diasporic Communities Research Development and Advocacy Network
Anthropology and Social Work
Associate Research Deans and Directors SIG
Building Healthy Relationships to End Violence (Grand Challenge)
Child and Family Traumatic Stress
Child Welfare
Children & Youth Behavioral Health Policy and Services Research
Coalition for the Promotion of Behavioral Health (Grand Challenge)
Community and Neighborhood SIG
Competency-Based Education in Social Work
Council on Social Work Education Minority Fellowship Program (CSWE-MFP)
Create Social Responses to a Changing Environment (Grand Challenge)
Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Critical Feminisms
Data Science
Decolonizing Research Methods
Disability
Disaster and Climate Research
Discrimination and Health
Doctoral Education SIG
Eliminate Racism
Fatherhood Related Research SIG
Financial Capability and Asset Building
Foster Care and Higher Education SIG
Grand Challenge to End Homelessness
Grand Challenge to Eradicate Social Isolation
Grand Challenge to Promote Smart Decarceration (PSD)
Harness Technology for Social Good (Grand Challenge)
Health Equity & Families
Health Loss and Well-Being of the Children of Criminal Justice Involved Parents
HIV and Aging Research
Human Trafficking
Human-Animal Interaction Research
Immigrants and Refugees
Implementation Research
Journal of Community Practice Editiorial Board
Kinship Care and Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Korean American Social Work Educators Association
Latinx-Focused Research
Lived Experience, the Lived Experience/Peer Workforce & Social Work
Management and Organizations SIG
Maternal and Infant Mental Health
Mentoring and Support Experiences for Black Women Leaders in Social Work Education SIG
Mixed Methods Research
Multi-System Children and Youth (Note: This is the correct submission to use)
Oncology SIG
Policy Research & Social Work
Political Social Work and the Future of Democracy
Psychiatric Medications
Qualitative Social Work Research
Reducing Extreme Economic Inequality (Grand Challenge)
Reimagining Justice for Youth and Young Adults (RJYYA)
Research with Service Members, Veterans, Family Members and Their Systems of Care
Resilience and Strengths-Based Research SIG
Rural Behavioral Health
School Social Work and School Based Research SIG
Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship
Social Work and First-Episode Psychosis
Social Work and Reproductive Justice
Social Work and Research with Multiracial Individuals and Families
Social Work Scholars in LGBTQ+ Research SIG
Social Work Supervision and Workforce Development Scholars
Suicide Research, Prevention, and Intervention
Underrepresented Faculty in Higher Education: Pathways to Tenure
Universal Basic Income and Guaranteed Income Policies and Research
Violence Against Women and Children
Well-Being of Black Women and Girls (WBBWG)
Work and Work-Life Policies and Programs
Workforce Health and Well-Being Among Social Work Professions
Youth and Young Adult Homelessness

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