Special Interest Group (SIG) Policies and Development Guidelines

The Society for Social Work and Research special interest groups (SIGs) facilitate networking opportunities for conference attendees to discuss in greater depth a specific social work research, policy or practice.

SIG requirements
Watch video: insights and guidelines in forming a SIG
2021 SIG virtual meetings schedule
Current and past SIGs
FAQ (PDF)

SIG Requirements
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 (e.g., non-profit entity, for-profit entity, incorporation status)
  • 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.
  • 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.

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.

2021 SIG virtual meetings

Typically, SIG meetings are held in-person at the SSWR annual conference and open to conference attendees as part of their conference registration. The Call for SIGs for 2021 is now closed. The 2021 SIG meetings are held virtually as part of SSWR 2021 post-conference event series throughout 2021. Click here to see the 2021 SIG virtual meetings schedule. Note: access to the 2021 SIG virtual meetings are open to 2021 virtual conference registrants.

Current and past SIG meetings

  • Achieve equal opportunity and justice (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Addictive Behaviors and Substance Misuse SIG
  • Advance long and productive lives (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Advanced Illness, Palliative and End of Life Care SIG
  • Aging Research, Education, Advocacy, and Practice Network (REAP) SIG
  • American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Global Indigenous (Indigenous) SIG
  • Anthropology and Social Work SIG
  • Asian Mental Health in Higher Education SIG
  • Associate Research Deans and Directors SIG
  • Child Welfare SIG
  • Close the health gap (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Coalition for the Promotion of Behavioral Health (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Community and Neighborhood Research SIG
  • Create social responses to a changing environment (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Criminal and Juvenile Justice SIG
  • Critical and Radical Social Workers for Justice and Change SIG
  • Data Science SIG
  • Disability SIG
  • Disaster Research SIG
  • Doctoral Education SIG
  • End homelessness (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Eradicate social isolation (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Father Related Research SIG
  • Financial capability and asset building (FCAB) for all (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Foster care and higher education SIG
  • Global Social Work SIG
  • Harness technology for social good (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Human Rights and SDGs: A Social Work Perspective SIG
  • Human-Animal Interaction Research SIG
  • Immigration and refugee studies SIG
  • Implementation Research SIG
  • Integrated Health SIG
  • Journal of Community Practice Editorial Board Meeting SIG
  • Justice-Involved Youth and Young Adults SIG
  • Korean American Social Work Educators Association SIG
  • Management and Organizations SIG
  • Maternal and Infant Mental Health SIG
  • Methods of Quantitative Social Intervention Research SIG
  • Minority Behavioral Health SIG
  • Mixed Methods Research SIG
  • Oncology SIG
  • Promote smart de-carceration (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Psychiatric Medications SIG
  • Qualitative Social Work Research SIG
  • Reducing extreme economic inequality (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Research on Social Work in Public Libraries SIG
  • Research with Latinx Communities SIG
  • Research with Service Members, Veterans, and their Families SIG
  • Rural Behavioral Health SIG
  • School Social Work and School-based Research SIG
  • Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship SIG
  • Social Justice in Social Work Education, Research and Practice SIG
  • Social Work and Neuroscience (SWAN) Research SIG
  • Social Work and Reproductive Justice SIG
  • Social Work and Research with Muslims SIG
  • Social Work Research and Practice in China SIG
  • Social Work Scholars in LGBTQ+ Research SIG
  • Social Workers and Gun Violence SIG
  • South Asian Social Work Research SIG
  • Stop family violence (Grand Challenge) SIG
  • Systematic Reviews SIG
  • Tenure-Track Professors of Social Work and Social Welfare SIG
  • Trauma Informed Care SIG
  • Violence Against Women and Children SIG
  • Work, Family, and Family Policy SIG
  • Youth Behavioral Health Policy and Services Research SIG
  • Youth Participatory Research and Practice SIG
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