Social Workers–Agents of Change: A Journey of Remembrance & Renewal

Call for Papers

2009 Metro-Chapter Conference Abstracts
Abstract Submission Information

Abstracts should be submitted via mail or e-mail and postmarked or received electronically by October 1, 2008.  Abstracts received after this deadline are not guaranteed consideration. Each author submitting an abstract electronically will receive an electronic acknowledgement receipt within a week. If you do not receive verification of receipt of your abstract, please contact Joyce Higashi at Jhigashi@naswdc.org or call 202-336-8395.

Authors whose submissions are accepted for Formats I and II are invited to attend the conference on the day of presentation and remain for the luncheon as our guest.  Authors must register for the additional day of the conference and for continuing education credits.  Authors are asked to complete all required forms including permissions to publish information and photos. This information will not be shared with any other group or organization or used for any other purpose.

Abstract Format & Requirements

Abstracts should be submitted in one of the following two formats and referenced to a specific subject category (see Abstract Subject Category List). Authors must indicate their preference for a single oral, group panel, poster session or a 3 hour workshop.  Authors must also identify key population and specific issue.  We encourage submissions to address key issues of: 

• Diversity (Culture, Race, Ethnicity, Gender, etc) 
• Advocacy/Legislation 
• Education/Research

Specifically, what are the issues in these areas that should be highlighted or addressed for future practice or service delivery?

Format I–Social Work Evidence & Evaluation

This format is most appropriate for the presentation of program evaluation and clinical research.  Note that those abstracts which establish primary findings at the time of submission will be ranked higher for consideration. 

• Background/Objectives:  Study objectives, the hypothesis to be tested, or a description of the problem.
• Methods: Methods used or approach taken.
• Results: Specific results in summary form (with appropriate statistical analysis).
• Conclusions: Discussion, implications, and conclusions.

Format II–Practice, Policy & Program Development

This format is most appropriate for description of effective practice, programs or policies including direct services, community-based programs, ethics, professional development, and vehicles for program dissemination and capacity enhancement.

• Issue: The specific problems or needs to be addressed.
• Setting: Geographic location, description of where program/intervention takes place, and intended audience.
• Project: Description of the innovative practice, policy, program or model.
• Impact or Outcomes:  Summary of the impact of the innovation.
• Implications for Social Workers: Summary of opportunities for the profession.

Abstract Subject Category List

Individuals should indicate on their abstract the subject category your abstract addresses.  Below each category there are examples of workshop focus areas and titles.  We encourage individuals to consider submitting abstracts that address these focus areas; however, abstracts will be considered that focus on other topics. Listed below are all of the subject categories that will be highlighted during the conference:

A.  Trauma and Violence:  Response and Recovery, Individual, Families Community

1. Incidents of Terrorism in the Media Today:  How People are Coping
2. PTSD:  Not Just for Soldiers Anymore
3. Crisis Intervention in the Schools for Children and Teachers
4. Sex Addictions/Perpetrators on the Internet
5. The Connection between Sex Abuse and Brain Development
6. Assessing for Homicide/Suicide Risks among Student

B.  The Macro Social Worker Today 

1. How did “Macro” end up in the social work curriculum?
2. Management Opportunities for Social Workers:  Are You Ready?
3. Community Organization and Lobbying: Staying Connected with Social Work
4. 4. Essential Writing Skills for Grant applications and/or Policy Development
5. The Heart of Macro Social Work: Changing Social Systems
6. Ethics in the Workplace

C. Aging in Our Communities:  Realities of Change

1. Reminiscence Group Therapy: Telling Their Stories
2. Motivational Interviewing
3. Spirituality in Social Work Practice with Older Adults
4. Aging, Abuse and Culturally Sensitive Intervention
5. When Do We Take Over?  Social Workers Caring for Their Own Relatives 
6. Self-Determination vs. Protection:  The Ethical Dilemma in Work with Aging Clients

D. Healthcare

1. The Silent Killer in the African American Community:  Older adults and HIV/AIDS
2. Obesity Diabetes, and Other Conditions:  Will Parents Outlive Their Children?
3. Ethics In Healthcare Settings:  The Social Worker uses Ethical Skills in Critical Situations
4. The Healthcare Social Worker:  Skills with Patients, Families, & the System.
5. The Social Worker Addressing Poverty/Racial Issues in Helping Healthcare Patients in DC
6. Helping the Patient/Family Deal with Health and Mental Health Problems in Dealing with Illness
7. Healthcare for Everyone in the USA:  Working Toward Universal Coverage
   

E. Advocacy: A Tool for Empowering Social Workers and Consumers

1. Empowering Consumers through Advocacy
2. Ethics and Whistleblowing
3. Supervisors as Advocates for Supervisees
4. In Pursuit of Funding: The Social Worker's Role in Financing the Mission
5. Multicultural Challenges to Effective Advocacy

F.  Child and Family Welfare Issues: Looking Beyond the Horizon  

1. Using Client Resistance as a Source of Personal Strength.
2. Using Generational Perspectives on Peer Pressure and Peer Values as a Tool in Therapy: Confronting the Disconnection between Adult Therapists and Contemporary Youth Clients.
3. Assessing and Responding to Imposed Family Separation: Implications for Youth Aging Out of Care.
4. Developing an Effective Plan for Self Care and Professional Actualization for Child Welfare and Youth Care Workers Performing under Siege Conditions.
5. Identifying, Understanding, and Treating Negative Sequellae of Environmental and Dietary Toxins on Children and Families.
6. Asssuring Cultural Respect for the LGBTQ Community by Professional Social Workers.
7. Locked Up, but not Locked Out: Identifying Models for Connecting Fathers with their Families and Helping Children Know their Fathers.

• Each track will feature one ethics class which will qualify for ethics education credit.
• The instructor’s CV should reflect evidence of explicit ethics training and experience.
• The instructor should be familiar with the NASW Code of Ethics

Contents Requirements for Ethics Classes
Content Requirements
   Minimum
   The content of the session:

1. Distinguishes between a practice issue and an ethical dilemma;
2. Distinguishes an ethical issue from a compliance or regulatory problem in individual or organizational practice settings;
3. Incorporates related professional obligations and responsibilities mandated by the NASW Code of Ethics in relation to the ethical content of the session;
4. Applies a value-based process (framework or model) to ethical problem solving;
5. Considers the limits of Codes of Ethics when dealing with complex ethical dilemmas; and,
6. Allows a sufficient time-frame within the program to incorporate all of the above in the presentation, application, and group interaction/discussion (minimum 1.5 to 2 hours).

  Additive Value

1. Reviews the most common ethical problems in social work practice related to the focus of the session.
2. Reviews of the most common ethical violations in social work practice related to the focus of the session.
3. Highlights NASW suspensions, State Licensing Boards censure, and Case law regarding malpractice.
4. Allows for an extended discussion of conflicts of rights, responsibilities, values and their effect on practice
5. Considers other state board Codes of Ethics and/or other professional Codes of Ethics

Types of Presentations

There are four types of presentations: single oral, group panel, workshop sessions and posters sessions.

Single Oral Sessions (90 Minutes)
(Session Abstracts Submitted Individually)
Oral sessions provide an opportunity for conference participants to hear the latest information on a topic from individual presentations. 

Group Panel Sessions (90 Minutes)
(Session Abstracts Submitted as a Group)
Group panel sessions, comprised of an expert panel or a specific group of presenters, provide an opportunity for authors to combine their presentations and submit together as one 90-minute session. There are two ways to submit abstracts for a group panel session. One summary abstract outlining the objectives for the entire panel along with the names of the speakers can be submitted, or individual abstracts (up to four) may be submitted together. In either submission method, all information on each speaker must be completed and accompany the abstract(s).

Workshop Session (180 Minutes)
(Session Abstracts Submitted Individually)
These sessions are experiential, didactic, skills-building training that are three hours in duration.  

Poster Sessions
(Session Abstracts Submitted Individually)
Authors will present posters on their assigned day. Information on poster size and presentation day and time will be sent to authors after abstracts have been accepted.  Students are especially encouraged to get their “feet wet” by submitting their original ideas and research papers in this areas in the poster session.

Instructions for Formatting Abstracts

1. If you have any questions about submitting an abstract, please call Joyce Higashi at 202-336-8395 or e-mail questions to jhigashi@naswdc.org.
2. All abstracts should be typed using single-line spacing and 12-point size font type.  Abstract should not exceed two pages.
3. Author names should be listed below the abstract’s title, using first and middle initials and the last name of each author. Underline the name of the presenting author.
4. Each authors’ affiliation should follow immediately after their name. For identification of multiple authors, use superscript numbers at the end of each author name to correspond to the affiliation.
5. Use of abbreviations is desirable. Place special or unusual abbreviations in parentheses after the full word or phrase the first time the abbreviation appears.
6. Do not indent paragraphs.
7. All sections of the forms should be completed in order for the abstract to be considered for the conference. Abstracts may be reproduced as submitted. 
8. All videos utilized at the conference should have captions for deaf persons as we welcome participation by deaf students and social workers. 

Click here to download SAMPLE ABSTRACTS.

Click here to download BLANK ABSTRACT FORMS.

Submitting Abstracts

Submit completed Abstracts to:

Melanie Mitchell
c/o NASW DC Metro
PO Box 75236
Washington, DC 20013

or email abstracts@naswmetro.org * (type “ABSTRACT 2009” in subject line)

or fax 202-336-8347

***Receipt of all proposals will be acknowledged, call if you do not receive a confirmation.