Greetings from the Family Policy Section! We hope you enjoyed the 2013 conference in San Antonio and that you are now inspired to participate in the 2014 annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

The FP Section is particularly excited about the upcoming conference given the theme "Families at the Nexus of Global Change." We recognize that social policies and laws often create the pushes and pulls that promote or necessitate family change and movement around the globe. We also recognize that individuals, families, states and nations are differentially impacted by policies and laws based on social location variables, statuses, power relations and myriad other factors that privilege some while disadvantaging others. As family scholars and practitioners, it is critical that we examine the ways in which policies and laws create the conditions that determine family well-being.

With this in mind, we want to encourage you to submit a conference proposal to the FP Section. Your proposal might investigate the influence of social policies on family structures and functioning, family processes and transitions, or the ways in which individuals and families navigate, negotiate, and make meaning of their lives in multiple and global contexts. We likewise encourage submissions that consider, more broadly, the policy implications of research and practice for family well-being. As a section, we are also keenly interested in examining effective and innovative methods of teaching family policy, and how scholars as agents of change negotiate policy engagement, advocacy, and/or activism in their professional lives.

We also want to encourage you (or your students) to apply for one of three Feldman Awards, presented in memory of Harold and Margaret Feldman, NCFR members and pioneers in the field of family policy. These awards recognize family policy researchers and practitioners engaged in policy-related activities, and encourage family policy as a career path for student/new professionals.

Enjoy the upcoming holidays and we look forward to engaging with you on matters of family policy in Baltimore!