70th National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference
November 5-8, 2008
Peabody Hotel , Little Rock, AR
Program Chair: Anisa M. Zvonkovic, Ph.D., Texas Tech University

Public Policy Sessions at the 2008 NCFR Annual Conference

Wednesday, November 5, 3:00 pm
Opening Plenary Session - Is Child Well-being in the U.S. Improving or Declining?
Paul R. Amato, Penn State University
Observers disagree over whether children's well-being is improving or declining in the United States. Broad statements about children's well-being are problematic, however, because well-being is a multidimensional construct, and not all indicators have changed in the same direction. This presentation reviews evidence on various aspects of children's well-being (such as health, academic achievement, and poverty) and describes structural and policy factors that are linked with shifts in these outcomes.

Thursday, November 6, 8:30 am
Special Session - Writing Successful Qualitative Research Proposals
Margarete Sandelowski, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
(Sponsored by the Students/New Professionals; Feminism and Family Studies, Research and Theory, Family and Health, Family Policy, and Religion and Family Life Sections; and Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop)
Successful qualitative research proposals are exercises in artful design, reflexivity, imaginative rehearsal, strategic disarmament, and elegant expression. In this session, each component of the research proposal will be addressed, including presentation of a significant research problem, statement of research purpose and questions, sampling frameworks, data collection and analysis plans, and human subjects issues. Also addressed is how to communicate with diverse reviewers of qualitative research proposals.

Thursday, November 6, 8:30 am
Family Policy Section Symposium – Low-Income Rural Mothers: How Can Policy Support Labor Force Participation in Rural Communities?
Low-income Rural Mothers: Public Policies That Assist Their Employment, Sheila Mammen, Sharon B. Seiling, Daniel Lass
Job Volatility of Low-income Rural Mothers: How Policy Can Make a Difference, Ann A. Berry, Mary Jo Katras, Yoshie Sano, Jaerim Lee, Jean W. Bauer
Struggle for Stable Employment: Examination of Mothers with Intermittent Employment, Yoshie Sano, Mary Jo Katras, Jean W. Bauer, Jaerim Lee, Ann A. Berrt
Challenges to Employment: Rural Families in Their Communities, Patricia Hyjer Dyk, Jean W. Bauer, Mary Jo Katras, Sarah Frank
Discussants: Jan McCulloch, Denise C. Lewis
Chair: Yoshie Sano

Thursday, November 6, 4:00 pm
Family Policy Special Invited Symposium - Evaluation of Child and Family Policies
Using Federal Data to Compare States' "Best Practices" in Adoptions Out of Foster Care
Preston Britner
Career Start: An Evaluation of a Middle School Student Engagement Strategy
Dennis K. Orthner
One more panelist to be announced
Discussant/Chair: Thomas Chibucos

Friday, November 7, 8:30 am
Special Session - Evidence Based Practice: Linking Research and Practice
Gary L. Bowen, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Elaine Anderson, University of Maryland; Jane Gilgun, University of Minnesota; Shirley M. H. Hanson, Emeritus, Oregon Health Sciences University; Leigh Leslie, University of Maryland; Terrance Olson, Brigham Young University; Stephen Small, University of Wisconsin-Madison
(Supported by Family Policy, Family Therapy, Research and Theory, and Family and Health Sections)
This session will define Evidence-based Practice (EBP), its history and development, and its current application in family science and social work, including pros and cons. Panel members will discuss the application of EBP to areas of central concern to NCFR members: youth development, school success, family life education (marital and family enrichment), and training of family life and social work professionals.

Friday, November 7, 10:15 am
Plenary Session - Economics of Care: Unpaid Caring Working and Paid Caring Work in the United States
Nancy Folbre, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
How much time and money do Americans devote to the process of raising the next generation of workers and taxpayers? Dr. Folbre will answer this question, emphasizing the economic value of family work and insisting on the need to improve measures of economic efficiency and welfare.  Professor Folbre is an economist specializing in research on the interface between political economy and feminist theory, caring labor, and the evolution of social institutions governing public support for childrearing.

Friday, November 7, 12:30 pm
Poster Symposia

Work/Family Policy
311-45 (R) Work-family fit and flexibility in Singapore: Predicting vitality outcomes, D. Phillip Scoville, Blake L. Jones, Geniel Childs, Joan M. Leishman, Kathryn Stephens, E. Jeffrey Hill
311-46 (R) To Work or Not to Work: Predicting the Timing of Mothers’ Employment Following Birth, Maria Ramos Olazagasti, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Patrick Shrout
311-47 (R) Trade Union Support for Fathers' Taking Parental Leave in Sweden, Linda Haas, Philip Hwang
311-48 (R) Perceived family supportiveness by supervisors: A multilevel perspective, Kamala Ramadoss, Shelley MacDermid

Family Health
311-49 (R) Perceptions of Mental Health Care Services Among National Guard Families, Lisa Gorman, Adrian Blow, Barbara Ames, Philip Reed, James Anderson
311-50 (P) Addressing Victimization Schema and Co-Morbid Mental Health Impact of Abuse, Linda Toche-Manley, Cathy Hockaday, Jesse Nankin
311-51 (P) Macro-policies & Micro-responses: Health care through families’ lens, Barbara Settles, Karen Mancini

Family Poverty
311-52 (R) Neo-material and psycho-social impacts of welfare-to-work policies on health and well-being, Rhonda Breitkreuz, Deanna Williamson, Kim Raine
311-53 (R) Rural, Low-Income, Single Mothers’ Work and Family Life, Seohee Son, Jean Bauer
311-54 (R) Child Poverty and Income Redistribution Policies: A Comparative Analysis and Critique, Stephanie Grutzmacher, Elaine Anderson

Friday, November 7, 1:45 pm
Special Invited Symposium - Focus on Poverty Research: The National Poverty Centers, Pamela A. Monroe, Professor, School of Social Work, Louisiana State University, et. al.
(Supported by the Family Policy Section)
The purpose of this session is to further the knowledge of federally supported Poverty Centers and the resources available to scholars through the Centers, by listening to and interacting with a panel of leader-representatives from each of the Centers.

Friday, November 7, 4:00 pm
Family Policy Workshop - Using The Sloan Work & Family Research Network to Advance Family Responsive Initiatives
Stephen Sweet, Judi Casey

In addition there are several posters on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.