Call for Proposals Information

Thank You!!!

Thank you for considering being a presenter for the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA)! We are driven to provide high-quality professional development for School Social Workers. If you are chosen as a presenter for our national conference, you are eligible to receive a reduced fee to attend the conference. In addition, presenting at a national conference or presenting through one of our webinars is an excellent opportunity to strengthen your leadership capacity, enhance your presentation skills, and build your professional resume.

Important: Read before submitting your workshop proposal

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Commitment from ALL Presenters

School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) is committed to Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility; we hold all presenters to the same standards.

Content, images, and examples should be racially- and culturally- sensitive.

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Attend FulL Conference

If you are selected to present at our national conference, you (and up to 2 co-presenters) will be required to register to attend the full National Conference by November 15, 2024. Please make attending the conference a priority. (Presenter will receive a Presenter Discount-details to be provided upon acceptance).

Please Note: If you are unable or unwilling to attend the full conference, we kindly ask that you refrain from submitting a proposal.

We encourage you to explore alternative avenues for sharing your knowledge and expertise, such as hosting a webinar with SSWAA! Please feel free to reach out to us at PDlearning@sswaa.org to discuss other options.

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Expectations of Presenters

SSWAA’s expectation for all presenters is to AVOID political references, stereotypes, and overgeneralizations.

All presentations must contain current research (at least 50% of references must be within the past 5 years as of the date for presentation).

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Cancellation

If you cancel unexpectedly without reasonable cause or we are unable to get in contact with you, you will not be considered for future conferences.

Cancellation of your presentation will result in a refund minus 25% admin fee.

Check the Conference Dates:

April 9-12, 2025

Atlanta, Georgia

Submissions are reviewed by a selection team. Presenter(s) name(s), bio(s), and headshot(s), and other identifying information are removed for the selection process. Reviewers seek to plan a well-balanced program through this process by peer-reviewing all materials submitted by each proposal speaker. Selection criteria used during the selection process include:

Do the title and description clearly articulate the session content?
Is the topic timely and/or pertinent to the field?
Are the session goals and objectives clear and appropriate?
Will this session positively contribute to the conference program and the profession?
Is the session intended to be interactive and engaging for attendees?

Presentations that feature intentional calls to positive social change, diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, intersectionality of identity, belonging, accessibility, development of practice with tools and experiential learning, research, and current evidence-based information are particularly desirable.

All sessions will be either 90-minute (1.5 hour) or 120-minute (2.0 hour) sessions.

The Proposal Submission Portal will open on May 15, 2024!!

Proposals must be submitted by June 30, 2024 (12:00 midnight Eastern)

(No Extensions/No Exceptions)

Please review our Presenter Toolkit for Proposal FAQ and Tips. Please reach out to Dr. JR Bullard-Batiste with any questions at PDlearning@sswaa.org.

Presenter Toolkit

I. Session Classifications:

Education Session – Education Sessions allow presenters to share their practice knowledge, work experiences, and practice implications in a traditional lecture or panel format. While this presentation classification is a more traditional format, speakers are encouraged to be intentional regarding participant engagement, interactions, and audience discussions

Session Features:

90 minutes total - typically broken into: 5 minutes for introductions > 60 minutes of theoretical background and practice implications > 15 minutes for application and interactive learning > 10 minutes for Q&A
1-3 presenters
Accompanied by a slide presentation and handouts
CEs are awarded for Education Sessions

Expanded Session – Expanded Sessions are in-depth sessions that provide for a deep understanding of session materials and enable participants to walk away with tools and techniques that can be applied to his/her practice.

Session Features:

120 minutes total - typically broken into: 5 minutes for introductions > 60 minutes of theoretical background and practice implications > 45 minutes for application and interactive learning > 10 minutes for Q&A
1-3 presenters
The session is a balance of education on a topic and interactive learning
Accompanied by a slide presentation and handouts
CEs are awarded for Expanded Sessions

Exploration Session – Exploration Sessions expand the learning experience to a highly engaging format. Presenters share practice knowledge followed by hands-on learning and skill-based practice. Attendees are given opportunities to learn the skill and apply the knowledge via activity-based practice opportunities, group interaction, and engaging case scenarios.

Session Features:

90 minutes total - typically broken into: 5 minutes for introductions > no more than 30 minutes of theoretical background and practice implications > 45 minutes for application and interactive learning >10 minutes for Q&A
1-3 presenters
Session activity is highly engaging, interactive, and focused on activity-based learning
May be accompanied by a slide presentation and any handouts or worksheets necessary for an effective session
CEs are awarded for Exploration Sessions

Poster Session – Poster Sessions allow presenters to share a visual presentation of the presenter’s research and data. The author will illustrate his/her findings with pictures, graphics, and charts accompanied by limited text. A good poster session offers useful information and provides for rich and meaningful discussion. ***Poster sessions are presented during a specified block of time (typically 1-1.5 hours).

Session Features:

Informal presentation with meaningful questions and discussion with attendees circulating throughout the exhibit hall
1-3 presenters
CEs are NOT available for Poster Sessions

***Date of Poster Presentations: TBA

Presenter Toolkit

II. Session Categories for Consideration:

Research to Practice

These sessions highlight School Social Work Research including innovative approaches to ways researchers and practitioners work together to evaluate practice and programs providing tangible practice implications for School Social Workers.

Macro Practice

These sessions highlight macro-level practice such as advocacy, campus or district system work, PBIS and MTSS, campus policies, rural SSW practice issues, urban SSW practice issues, etc.

Equity Dilemma / Cultural Competence

These sessions highlight the ways in which we can center our school social work practice within social justice, racial justice, and decolonial frameworks. Sessions focus on strategies for disrupting racialized achievement gaps and creating welcoming and equitable school environments. This is a call out for the school social work profession to take a critical lens toward systems that perpetuate systemic oppression within schools. Cultural Competence sessions highlight understanding of one’s own thoughts, beliefs, values, and behaviors, understanding a client’s cultural identity or experience, and how the practice is impacted by these factors.

Specific Populations

These sessions highlight work with specific populations, i.e. unhoused families, unaccompanied youth, early childhood, LGTBQIA2S+, gender identity and expression, Special Education, ADHD, ASD, children in foster care, etc.

Clinical Topics

These sessions focus on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness, emotional, and other behavioral disturbances. Topics can include individual, group, and family therapy as common treatment modalities.

General Practice Topics

These sessions highlight evidence-based practice work with individuals, groups, families, parental involvement, violence prevention, substance abuse prevention, crisis response, mental health issues, bullying prevention, etc.

Leadership Focus

These sessions highlight topics of interest pertaining to supervisory roles or leadership roles within a district or state. Additionally, these sessions may provide guidance and insights for those attendees who are interested in moving into district or state leadership positions.

Poster Presentation

Visual presentations of research or data along with interactive discussion.

Presenter Toolkit

III. Conference Proposals FAQ

SELECTION CRITERIA:

The following criteria will be used when session proposals are peer-reviewed:

Do the title and description clearly articulate the session content?
Is the topic timely and/or pertinent to the field?
Are the session goals and objectives clear and appropriate?
Will this session positively contribute to the conference program and the profession?
Is the session intended to be interactive and engaging?

ACCEPTANCE:

If your proposal is accepted, you will be asked to:

Register for the full conference and pay the published fee minus a presenter discount (available for up to 3 presenters--main presenter and two co-presenters, per session).
Prepare, edit, and accurately reference all materials for your session. Bibliography Citations must be current, including at least half of the references in the past five years.
Upload all session materials (PowerPoint, handouts, etc.) to the conference App by the deadline of January 31, 2025.

GENERAL TIMELINE**:

May 15, 2024 - Proposal Submission Portal opens (5:00 am EST)
June 30, 2024 - Proposals Submission Portal Closes (12:00 midnight EST)
- No Extensions will be provided for submissions.
June 30, 2024 - August 15, 2024 - SSWAA Proposals Reviewed by Selection Team
August 15, 2024 - Selection Review Complete and Notification of Acceptance
August 30, 2024 - Deadline for Presenters to Accept an Invitation to Present
- If the Primary Presenter does not accept or respond to the Notice of Acceptance by the August 30, 2024 Deadline, SSWAA will automatically go to the Waiting List to Select Another Session to Fill the Presentation Space.
September 16, 2024 - Registration opens for the SSWAA 2025; 28th Annual National Conference
November 15, 2024 (5:00pm EST) - Deadline for presenters to register.
- Any presenter who does not register (including primary presenter and/or secondary presenters) will result in a cancellation of session and SSWAA will automatically go to the Waiting List to select another session to fill the presentation space.
January 31, 2025 - Deadline for All Presenters to upload final presentation (PowerPoint/Slides and any additional Handout Materials) to the speaker portal.
April 9-12, 2024 - SSWAA 2025; 28th Annual National Conference in Atlanta, GA

Presenters may wish to print off this timeline for future reference and to ensure meeting conference timelines.

**General Timeline is in place to provide planning ability for speakers. Please note that SSWAA will make every attempt to honor this timeline; however, if any unforeseen changes to the timeline are needed, we will continue to update this schedule here on this webpage, so check back if you have any questions.

AV & MEDIA:

The following standard audiovisual equipment will be provided in each room: an LCD projector equipped with an HDMI cable, wireless internet connection, and a screen. Microphones will be provided in larger meeting rooms as need is determined by SSWAA.

Presenters are expected to provide their own laptops and any special adaptors that are needed to connect your specific computer to an HDMI cable provided on site. Presenters are encouraged to bring their own Bluetooth speakers if desired. All other AV equipment must be provided by the presenter or through arrangements with the hotel at your expense, including speakers needed to broadcast sound from videos/presentations.

Submissions CLOSED

ACE Approval Statement:

School Social Work Association of America SSWAA, #1789, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. School Social Work Association of America SSWAA maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 07/27/2023 – 07/27/2026.