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The 2017 NCFR Annual Conference is just around the corner on Nov. 15–18. NCFR staff are in full swing preparing for the conference—just as many reading this article are. The Conference Program Chair, Maureen Perry Jenkins, Ph.D., and the Conference Program Planning Committee have done a phenomenal job of putting together a high-quality program. The theme for this year’s conference, “Families as Catalysts: Shaping Neurons, Neighborhoods, and Nations,” will provide you with a plethora of opportunities to expand your knowledge and networks. For a detailed list of all your opportunities, visit the conference webpage. 

I want to highlight some of the many policy sessions that will occur during the conference. Be sure to check out the conference program  for a full list of policy sessions, including the many policy-related papers and posters not listed here.

Wednesday, Nov. 15

• Implications of Educational and Immigration Policy on Latino Families, Family Policy Section symposium
• Individual, Familial, and Neighborhood Influences on Obesity Disparities Across the Lifespan, an invited symposium organized by the Families and Health and Family Policy Sections
• Connecting Research, Practice, and Policy, an invited symposium organized by the Students and New Professionals; this session will be live streamed
• The Longevity Dividend: What It Means for Families, an invited symposium organized by the Families and Health and Family Policy Sections; this session will be live streamed

Thursday, Nov. 16

• Building Better Public Policy: Best Practices of Policymakers Who Champion Youth and Family Issues, an invited symposium organized by the Family Policy and Families and Health Sections
• Family Socioeconomic Context, Marriage, and Health From Middle to Later Years: Findings Over 25 Years, an invited symposium organized by the Families and Health and Family Policy Sections
• Going Public: How Family Researchers Can Engage With the Public and Policymakers, a special session organized by the Conference Program Chair; this session will be live streamed
• Policies and Transgender Health and Wellbeing: A Family Lifecourse Analysis, a Family Policy Section symposium

Friday, Nov. 17

• Toxic Stress in Contemporary Families: Getting From Adversity to Capacity, an invited symposium organized by the Family Policy and Families and Health Sections; this session will be live streamed
• Developing and Testing Strengths-Based Interventions for Parents of Children With Disabilities, an invited symposium organized by the Family Policy and Families and Health Sections; this session will be live streamed
• Strengthening the Connection Between Research About Families and Public Policy, a Family Policy Section symposium; this session will be live streamed

Saturday, Nov. 18

• How Policies Shape Lives: The Impact of Immigration Policy on Children and Families, closing plenary with Manijeh Daneshpour, Ph.D., and Andre Segura, J.D., organized by the conference program chair; this session will be live streamed

In addition to the family policy sessions and the Saturday closing plenary, three additional plenaries are scheduled—all of which are live streamed—and are sure to inspire those interested in family policy to critically think about family policy implications. As you listen to the plenaries, ask yourself, “How can the research and information provided be used to critically analyze family policies or other policies from a family perspective?”

Here is a list of the three additional plenary sessions with dates:

• Wednesday, Nov. 15: Opening plenary session with Michael Bérubé, Ph.D., The Journey from Normal: Parenting a Child with Down Syndrome
• Thursday, Nov. 16: Plenary session with M. V. Lee Badgett, Ph.D., Controversial Contributions: Calculating the Economic Benefits of Families
• Friday, Nov. 17: Plenary session with Linda Burton, Ph.D., When Ethnography Comes Home to Roost: Andre, the Life Course, and My Family’s Intervention

Finally, a number of sessions can be found in the program related to policy, social justice, and advocacy from Sections other than the Family Policy Section. One session to highlight is the Inclusion and Diversity Committee (IDC) special session, Social Justice Strategies to Address the Elephant in the Classroom or the Family Room: Race and Racism in America, the Conversation Continues, on Friday, Nov. 17. You can find a full list of these sessions in the program. These sessions are an example of how family policy affects us all, including those outside the Family Policy Section.

The conference is sure to be thought-provoking, inspiring, and full of opportunities for growth and development in and outside of family policy. I look forward to seeing you all there!

NCFR’s Family Policy Resources

As the NCFR Board shared in their article “Findings of the NCFR Member Public Policy Survey 2: Moving Forward,” NCFR provides a number of family policy resources regarding the policymaking process and how policies affect families. The Board shared a figure demonstrating five distinct family policy resources. Below are descriptions for each of those resources:

■    Annual Conference sessions address a wide range of family policy topics, including a number of sessions that address how to translate research for legislators and the public, the impact policy has on families, and social justice issues. Policy sessions are connected to many Sections in addition to the Family Policy Section. Section sorts are provided annually to easily permit attendees to find the policy-relevant sessions. See the Family Policy Section sorts for this year and last year at bit.ly/NCFR2017policy and bit.ly/NCFR2016policy) as well as my fall 2016 NCFR Report article focusing on policy sessions at the conference.

■    The Inclusion and Diversity Committee (IDC) special session at the conference is interactive and engaging, and addresses a range of social justice topics. Learn more and see resources from the 2016 IDC special session.

■    Research and Policy Briefs provide research-based information regarding how policies have an impact on families and possible implications for family policy. Briefs are meant to increase the visibility of Family Science for policymakers at all levels, particularly state and federal legislators, and those who have an investment in families. See the latest briefs.

■    On-Demand Education Program offers several mechanisms to learn about family policy. These excellent materials can be found at NCFR’s Learning Center (log in with your NCFR username and password). On-demand materials can also be used as a classroom resource:

• Archived video conference sessions: Many of the great conference sessions, including policy-related sessions you may have attended during the conference are available for viewing. 
• Conference podcasts (i.e., conference audio files) also are available that enable you to listen conference sessions related to family policy you may have missed. 
• Webinars provide information on a range of topics relevant to Family Science research updates and methodology, family life education, and family policy. Family policy webinars discuss how to be involved in policy and tips to teach family policy. See a list of all webinars. Log in to the learning.ncfr.org site to watch the on-demand webinars. 

■    New Policy Resources are being developed to disseminate research, increase the visibility of Family Science research, and increase knowledge about state and federal bills:

• COSSA (Consortium of Social Science Association) membership: NCFR is now a member of COSSA. This membership allows NCFR to stay abreast of how national legislation impacts social science. When appropriate, NCFR may sign letters authored by COSSA to maintain funding for social science research.
• Bill Track 50 is an online resource to track state and federal bills being introduced into legislation. A couple of NCFR Affiliates are using the resource to help track legislation in their states. Plans are being developed to offer this resource to Sections and other NCFR Affiliates. 
• Additional resources are in the planning stages. Stay tuned for more information.

■    Additional Policy Resources: Members can learn about the policymaking process or the impact policies have on families through the following NCFR resources:

• Journals:
  • Journal of Marriage and Family
  • Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science
  • Journal of Family Theory & Review
• NCFR Report, including Family Focus
• CFLE Network
• Resource Library
• Zippy News 
• Local Affiliates
• The Family Science website

A well-deserved thank-you to all who work on policy and develop policy resources. Please contact me if you are interested in volunteering your expertise to expand NCFR’s policy resources. My door is always open.