Thanks for your interest in submitting a workshop or poster session for NACSW’s Convention 2025!

To submit a workshop or poster session proposal online, simply go to Workshop Submission Form,

and submit your workshop or poster proposal today!

NACSW’s 75th Convention 2025 will offer participation both:

1. Onsite in Norfolk, VA at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel

AND

2. Virtual (live remote)

The deadline for submissions is May 15, 2025.

I. Information About Workshop and Poster Submissions

NACSW’s conventions sponsor workshops and poster sessions that contribute to the growth of social workers and related professionals in the ethical integration of spirituality, faith and social work practice. Most workshop sessions are 60 minutes long, although there is space reserved for a limited number of 90-minute sessions as well.

The proposal submission process will ask you to identify which of the tracks best identifies the overall focus of your presentation. NACSW will make every effort to accommodate your track recommendation, although reserves the right to make the final track allocation based on the overall program balance. Special content is welcomed in areas such a spirituality and religion, international social work, social justice and advocacy, and work with a wide array of populations and critical social issues.

To skip immediately to the webpage to submit a workshop or poster proposal online, simply go to Workshop Submission Form, and submit your proposal today! Remember when you submit your proposal to indicate whether you are interested in presenting onsite in Norfolk, VA or virtually (live remote).

Please don’t hesitate to contact NACSW with any questions you might have about workshop submissions.

A. Tracks

Proposals may be submitted for the following tracks:

1. Direct Practice: Individuals, Couples, Families and Children – Presentations in this track may focus on (but are not limited to): clinical social work, case management and social work non-clinical practice, residential and community-based care, private practice, school social work, medical social work, family systems, diagnosis/assessment, new approaches to treatment, etc.

2. Human Development, Diversity, and Behavior in the Environment – Presentations in this track may focus on (but are not limited to): integration of faith and practice as it applies to human development and behavior across the lifespan; spiritual competency; and practice and research with people with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, and other groups, etc.

3. Direct Practice: Groups and Communities – Presentations in this track may focus on (but are not limited to): community organizing; assets-based community development and community-oriented interventions; advocacy; international social work; issues of poverty; group social work, etc.

4. Administration and Work with Organizations – Presentations in this track may focus on (but are not limited to): management and leadership of organizations; organizational culture; grant writing; program development; staff issues; budgeting; organizational policy-making; staff training and development, etc.

5. Public Administration and Policy – Presentations in this track may focus on (but are not limited to): social policy; government funding issues; economic issues; social justice; social change theory; church and denominational policy and politics, etc.

6. Professional Relationships, Values and Ethics – Presentations in this track may focus on (but are not limited to): social work ethics; the impact of social workers’ faith on their work; nurturing social workers’ faith and character formation; boundary issues; dual relationships; social work supervision, etc.

7. Social Work Education – Presentations in this track may focus on (but are not limited to): strategies and illustrations related to integrating faith and spirituality in the social work curriculum; CSWE accreditation issues; examples of spiritually and religiously sensitive educational policies and practices related to social work students and faculty; faith-related issues with students in field placements, etc.

8. Social Work Research – Presentations in this track may focus on (but are not limited to): methodological issues in research on religion and spirituality in social work practice, practical reports of dilemmas and difficulties in research as well as proposals for resolving these challenges, partnerships in conducting research, and identifying and working with research funding sources, etc.

9. Military/Veterans Affairs – Presentations in this track may focus on (but are not limited to): exploring the unique experiences, challenges, and strengths of current and former military service members through the lens of faith and social work.

10. Faith, Justice, & Politics – Presentations in this track may focus on (but are not limited to) the intersection of faith and justice on issues such as: racial equality and reconciliation; empowerment of woman and girls and other gender issues; LGBTQ issues; creation care and environmental stewardship; immigration and refugee issues; poverty; income disparity and living wage issues; peace and nonviolence, etc.

11. Integration of Faith & Practice: Specific focus on how faith informs practice, with emphasis on ethical integration. Conversations of Theology and Social Work are examples of workshops for this track.

* NACSW is not able to provide remuneration for workshop or poster presenters. Presenters agree to register for the convention at their own expense at the usual convention rate, and to make their presentation at the time selected by the Convention planning committee.

B. Criteria for Workshop Selections:

Proposals will be selected by a “blind review” process focused on the following criteria:

The workshop or poster will add to the body of knowledge currently available on the topic addressed, and is sensitive to the ethical integration of faith and practice.
The workshop or poster includes a practical component which participants can readily apply in practice/ministry.
The proposal is clearly informed by the current literature and/or by practice experience of the presenter.
The concepts in the proposal are clear and the proposal is understandable and well-organized.

Please note that NACSW’s conference niche is in providing trainings that are sensitive to the ethical integration of Christian faith with some aspect of social work practice. If your submission represents an alternative spiritual or religious perspective, please note this on your proposal so that if it is accepted, we can indicate this in the convention program listing.

II. Procedure for Workshop and Poster Submissions

Please submit your workshop or poster proposal online. All proposals must be submitted electronically. To submit a proposal, simply follow the instructions at Workshop Submission Form. We suggest gathering the following information beforehand, and then simply copy and paste it in the proposal submission form:

Name and contact information for the person(s) making this submission
A workshop or poster title
A 50-word abstract suitable for printing in the final convention program
A 1500-word description which includes the following:
- - A brief outline of the session’s key topics and how long you will be addressing each of these topics
  - A faith, religion, and/or spirituality component
  - An explanation how the presentation is informed by relevant social work and theological/biblical literature
  - If a practice-oriented session, how the presentation is consistent with current understanding of evidence-based and culturally-competent ethical practice
A list of references/bibliography which includes some sources published within the past 5 years
Learning objectives for the presentation
A bio/resume (100-150 words) describing current employment, licensure status (if applicable), previous professional experience, etc.

As noted above, most workshop sessions are 60 minutes (1 hour) long, with a limited number of 90-minute (1.5 hours) sessions available. In the workshop submission you will be asked to request your preference for workshop length.

If for whatever reason you are having difficulty submitting your proposal online as described above, please email or call the NACSW office at 888.426.4712 for assistance.

III. Proposal Selection

Proposals are blind peer reviewed (that is, the reviewers will not know the names of the person(s) submitting proposals). Presenters will be notified about whether or not their proposals have been accepted for the convention by Jun 15, 2025. Please note that not all proposals will be accepted because of the limited number of presentation slots available. Proposals with multiple presenters are highly encouraged.

IV. Presenter Registration

To ensure a full workshop program, persons who submit proposals for NACSW Convention 2025 are expected to agree to the following terms:

If my/our presentation proposal is accepted, I/we understand and agree – unless a bona fide emergency occurs:

To attend NACSW’s Convention 2025 in Norfolk, VA, or NACSW’s virtual convention, and to present my/our workshop or poster session
To register (at my/our own expense) at the usual convention rate by no later than September 15, 2025
That if I/we do not register for the convention by September 15th, 2025, my/our presentation may have to be removed from the convention workshop or poster program
That no honorarium will be paid to me/us for my/our presentation
To make my presentation at the time selected by the Convention 2025 planning committee between November 13 – 16, 2025.
If I/we are presenting onsite, to provide at least 25 copies of my/our handouts at no expense to workshop participants
If I/we are presenting onsite, to, to bring my/our own laptop if I/we wish to display a PowerPoint presentation, and to pay the cost of any audio-visual equipment (other than an LCD projector and screen, which will be provided free of charge) that I/we may choose to use

To submit a workshop or poster session proposal online, simply go to Workshop Submission Form, and submit your workshop or poster proposal today! The deadline for submissions is May 15, 2025.