Notice of Abstract Acceptance issued February 15, 2023. 

The National Conference on Social Work and HIV/AIDS, founded in 1988, is an annual event that offers social workers, allied professionals, and people affected by HIV and AIDS the connections, tools, learning opportunities, and strategies they need to understand and implement effective practices in their agencies and communities. Our goals for attendees of the 35th National Conference on Social Work and HIV/AIDS (NCSWH) are to gain knowledge, be challenged, and be renewed.

The theme for the 2023 conference is 35 Years Strong: How Social Work Will End the Epidemic. Social workers know that HIV and AIDS are not merely health issues but are often a result of poverty, racism, homophobia, and stigma. We will not see an end to the HIV and AIDS epidemic without addressing the systems and policies that perpetuate social injustice and continue to contribute to health inequities.

The NCSWH Program committee invites proposals that support our theme emphasizing Social Work’s role in ending the epidemic. Proposals highlighting community-led responses, strategies for achieving equitable access to care, anti-oppression/anti-racism work, and content created or co-created by people living with HIV will be prioritized. We also seek proposals highlighting work with populations disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS and those with unique needs due to their diagnosis. For example, by 2030, up to 70% of people living with HIV will be over 50. People aging with HIV are vulnerable to the ailments that come with living longer and are more likely to experience loneliness and stigma.

Additionally, activists of the civil rights and women’s movements have paved the way for our understanding of the importance of radical self-care in doing this type of work. Self-care will be an essential component of the conference so that participants feel nourished, rejuvenated, and equipped to counter the burnout that often occurs in our profession.

We welcome you to submit a proposal that aligns with our conference theme and goals. We also welcome proposals ranging from topics of interest to those new to the field and proposals that take a deeper dive for more seasoned professionals.  As a part of your proposal, please describe how your session will be engaging and interactive for attendees. Also, please note there is a limit of two proposal submissions per primary presenter.   

Special Accommodations 
If receiving the following information in an alternate format is needed or determined to be helpful, please get in touch with Valencia@collaborative-solutions.net.  Please allow time for staff to obtain, confirm receipt, and respond to any special accommodations requested.  

Persons with Lived Experience/Expertise
Persons with lived experience/expertise are strongly encouraged to submit an abstract. If additional assistance or support is needed in completing a proposal, please get in touch with Bianca Hannon at Bianca@collaborative-solutions.net before the January 20th deadline.

Presentation Dates: 

• Wednesday, May 24, 2023
• Thursday, May 25, 2023
• Friday, May 26, 2023
• Saturday, May 27, 2023

Abstract Submission  Requirements and General Outline
Abstract submission requirments are governed by the Associationof Social Work Boards (AWSB). Collaborative Solutions, Inc. (ACE Provider Approval #1548) is approved to offer continuing social work 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. Collaborative Solutions, Inc. maintains responsibility for this course(s). ACE Provider Approval Period: 05/16/2021 – 05/16/2024."

Presenter Qualifications
At least one “Primary/Lead Presenter" must be selected for each presentation. The selected person must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• This presenter is a faculty member of an accredited undergraduate or graduate school of social work;
• This presenter has received specialized graduate or postgraduate-level training in the subject taught in the program; -OR-
• This presenter has extensive experience, including no less than five years of practical application or research on the course taught.  Note: Experience is valued and can replace the formal education requirement.  

• 15-Minute In-Person Oral Poster Presentation: Presenters must be present in person. There will be four presenters in each Oral Poster Symposium, with one moderator. Oral presentations include fifteen minutes for each poster presenter. The fifteen-minute introductory presentations must provide an overview of each author’s work. These brief presentations should focus on the rationale for the study and how the results provide new insights and/or mechanisms utilizing visual aids, including but not limited to PowerPoint, charts, posters, polling platforms, etc.

• 75-Minute Session: These are intended to be more in-depth presentations on varied topics such as direct practice, education, research, policy, etc. These sessions will be offered concurrently during 75-minute periods. Please indicate whether your presentation will be geared toward a beginning, intermediate, or advanced audience. Sessions are expected to be engaging, interactive, and to last throughout the assigned 75-minute time frame. PowerPoint may be used in these sessions if so desired.

• 60-Minute Session: Conversations on Best Practices: Presenters in this category will facilitate an informal discussion describing a vignette from their practice that illustrates a thorny problem. Vignettes can be drawn from work with a client, a resource issue, an ethical dilemma, an administrative problem encountered, or perhaps a supervisory issue. You should provide an overview of the vignette, raise questions for consideration and then facilitate a discussion whereby those present can develop a “best practices” solution. These sessions should be naturally informal and conversational and are expected to last throughout the assigned 60-minute timeframe. PowerPoint may be used in these sessions if so desired.

• Pre-Conference Session: Intensive Training Course (1/2 day session). The purpose of the pre-conference is to provide more intensive training that connects theory to practice that can be offered. The presenter offers a deeper dive into the selected topic, which must include the delivery of 3.5 hours of content (not including the provided breaks).