2026 Call for Proposals

The 2026 CSWE Annual Conference

Call for Proposals 

The call for proposals for the 72nd CSWE Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, October 22–25, 2026, is now closed. The conference theme, Rooted in Resilience: Honoring the Past, Grounding the Present, champions the need for social work conversations around the profession’s legacy of justice, advocacy, and care while grounding today’s work in our core social work values. Sessions will explore how we can remain responsive, resilient, and attuned to the needs of students and communities amid a rapidly changing landscape. 

Participants submitted proposals on the following and other related topics to social work education: 

• Historical legacies of resilience in marginalized communities 

• Intergenerational trauma, healing, and cultural memory 

• The role of storytelling and oral histories in social work education 

• Honoring ancestral knowledge and traditional helping practices 

• Resilience-informed and culturally grounded pedagogies 

• The intersection of resilience, identity, and belonging 

• Environmental resilience, climate justice, and community care 

• Resilience, migration, and displacement 

• Trauma-informed practices rooted in historical and cultural context 

• Contemporary challenges to resilience: burnout, moral injury, and workforce well-being 

• Resilience across the lifespan: youth, families, and aging populations 

• The role of policy, advocacy, and collective resistance in sustaining community resilience 

• Spirituality, faith traditions, and their intersections with healing and identity 

• Structural threats to resilience: confronting poverty, racism, ableism, and systemic inequities 

• Preparing students for ethically grounded practice in an technology riven world 

 

CSWE encouraged proposals from multiple perspectives and voices. Proposals should raise critical issues about practices, policies, and structures that address resilience, reflect on our shared history and deepen our understanding of the present context. Proposals should clearly identify strategies for improving curricula and teaching practices.  

Presentations are organized by tracks, allowing meeting participants to quickly locate and gauge their interest in specific sessions. Submissions should focus on the conference theme and adhere to one of the CSWE tracks. Submissions that do not meet the criteria for the session types listed are not considered.  

Timeline

Call for Proposals Opened: January 8, 2026 
Call for Proposal Closed: February 12, 2026, 11:59 PM (EDT)

Peer-Reviewed Educational Proposals 

Each peer-reviewed proposal is submitted to a conference track. The following presentation formats will be scheduled between Friday, October 23 – Sunday, October 25, 2026. 

•  Electronic Poster (30 minutes, up to two presenters). E-posters are PowerPoint presentations and will be delivered on monitors in or near the exhibition hall. 

•  Interactive Workshop (60 minutes, minimum of two and up to five presenters). Each workshop should include a highly interactive portion (i.e., breakout groups, exercises, and similar activities that engage the audience). 

• Paper (30 minutes, up to two presenters). Papers are lecture-format presentations that are paired under a common theme and are usually scheduled back-to-back in 1-hour sessions. 

• Panel (60 minutes, one moderator, minimum of two and up to four presenters. Panel discussions are collaborative presentations on a single research topic.  

Non-Peer Reviewed Proposals 

The following format options are for non-peer reviewed proposals. 

The following presentation formats will be scheduled between Friday, October 23 – Sunday, October 25, 2026. 

• CSWE Commission/Council Connect Sessions (Commissions and Councils ONLY) (60 minutes, up to seven presenters): CSWE commissions and councils are invited to submit proposals that highlight work that advances their charges and the mission of CSWE. Proposals should showcase any current projects and/or work being done. Priority will be given to proposals that relate to the theme of the conference. This option is only for CSWE commissions and councils. Each CSWE commission and council may submit one proposal.   

• Partnership Presentations (Social Work Education-Related Groups ONLY) (60 minutes, up to 10 presenters): Partnership sessions are reserved only for social work education-related groups to make special presentations at the CSWE Annual Conference. Due to meeting space availability, groups will be limited to one accepted presentation.  

 Pre-Conference Summit and Institutes:  

The following sessions will be scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2026. 

• AI and Technology in Social Work Education Institute (1.5 hour sessions, up to three presenters each): The pre-conference institute on Artificial Intelligence and Technology in Social Work Education is designed for anyone interested in the intersection of technology and social work education, including administrators, deans and directors, field instructors, and instructional designers. The Institute will offer space for collaboration, experimentation, and reflection on how digital tools are changing the learning landscape and how social work education must prepare students for ethical, effective, and forward-thinking practice. We seek proposals that critically and creatively engage with topics such as: integrating AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, data analytics, simulation) into coursework or field learning, preparing students for ethical, anti-oppressive technology use in practice, addressing access, environmental concerns, and/or bias in the implementation of educational technology, building digital literacy and critical thinking in social work learners, innovations in online and hybrid pedagogy using emerging technologies, proposals may include workshops, demonstrations, facilitated dialogues, or case-based reflections. Submissions that center marginalized voices, explore ethical dilemmas, or challenge dominant narratives around technology are especially encouraged.  

• Field Education Institute (1.5-hour sessions, up to three presenters each): is designed for anyone interested in field education. This includes deans and directors, field directors, faculty members, and field personnel.  The CSWE Field Education Institute will offer opportunities for new and experienced field educators to collaborate in advancing the field of social work education. This year’s institute will center on crucial issues in field education, by examining the historical foundations that have shaped field learning, acknowledging the resilience embedded in social work’s legacy, and strengthening contemporary practices that support student success, agency partnerships, and community well-being. We seek proposals that explore how field education practices honor historical knowledge, promote resilience in students and communities, and ground current educational approaches in equity, innovation, and reflective practice. Proposals may address themes such as supervision, resilient field partnerships, antiracist and decolonizing field education models, strategies for supporting student well-being, and emerging challenges and opportunities within contemporary field settings.  

• Assessment Institute (1.5-hour sessions, up to three presenters each): the CSWE Annual Conference will offer the Assessment Institute, on Thursday, October 22, 2026, designed for faculty and academic staff members focused on program experiences and best practices with assessment using the 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). This includes the three types of assessment addressed in the 2022 EPAS: competency-based student learning outcomes, anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI), and program outcomes. We seek proposals that address assessment of any of the following: innovative practices in assessment; administrative and governance structures; student recruitment and retention; classroom or field-based competence demonstration; or program outcomes/bright line indicators. In alignment with the conference theme, we are particularly interested in assessment approaches that recognize historical influences on social work education, elevate resilience within programs and communities, and strengthen current practices to support student learning and organizational effectiveness.   

• Student Summit (1.5-hour sessions, up to three presenters each): CSWE is pleased to offer the Student Summit at the 2026 Annual Conference. This year’s Student Summit invites social work students to explore leadership through the lens of resilience, drawing strength from the legacies of justice, advocacy, and community care that shape the profession. As today’s students prepare to become tomorrow’s practitioners, educators, and change agents, the Summit will focus on cultivating leadership that is grounded in core values, responsive to the complexities of contemporary practice, and attuned to the evolving needs of diverse communities. We seek proposals that uplift leadership perspectives informed by historical wisdom, resilience in the face of systemic challenges, and a commitment to equity and innovation. Proposals may explore leadership in areas such as advocacy, collaboration, field engagement, mutual aid, community organizing, or interdisciplinary work, especially as they connect past resilience with present-day social work realities. 

Proposal Review

All proposals (Peer-Reviewed and Non-Peer-Reviewed) will be reviewed for the following: 

• Relevance of topic, study, or inquiry to CSWE members and conference theme 
• Clarity of the written proposal or focus of inquiry 
• Appropriateness of research method(s) and/or conceptual foundation 
• Robustness of analytical and/or theoretical frame; and 
• Significance for social work education, practice, research, policy, or theory

Proposal Limit 

You may be a presenter for a maximum of three (3) proposals; this includes all categories for peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed proposals.  This limit does not apply to contributors or moderators.

• 1 Non-Peer-Reviewed Proposal:  
  • Pre- Conference Summit/Institute Proposal  OR 
  • Connect Session Proposal  
• Up to 2 Peer-Reviewed Proposals:  
  • Educational Proposals (Paper, Panel, Interactive Workshop, E-poster) 

Submission Instructions

CSWE uses Cadmium, an online proposal management system. Please note that all proposals are to be submitted online using Cadmium. If you experience technical problems with the proposal submission system, email [email protected] or call (410) 638-9239/toll-free (877) 426-6323.  

Presenter/Speaker Requirements

You do not need to be a CSWE member to submit a proposal or to register for the conference. However, if your proposal is accepted, each presenter must register, pay in full, and attend the full conference. 

All presenters must be available to present at any time Friday through Sunday, October 23-25, 2026. CSWE cannot accept special requests for presentation dates or times. Presenters who cannot guarantee availability to present on any of these days should be listed as contributors. 

The category of “contributor” has been added as an optional role for all proposal types, and you may designate contributors on your proposal. Contributors are individuals who contributed to the work but who will not attend the CSWE Annual Conference to participate in the presentation. Contributors are not required to meet presenter compliance policy requirements.

To ensure presenters are not disqualified from presenting at the 2026 CSWE Annual Conference, review the 2026 CSWE Annual Conference Presenter Agreement.

If you have questions about the call for proposals and/or proposal submission process, please review our Proposal FAQs or email [email protected] or call (703)-519-2058.