As social work continues to serve increasingly diverse populations within rapidly evolving cultural contexts, practitioners must be equipped with culturally responsive skills to provide effective and respectful care. Clients bring unique, culturally grounded experiences and expectations to clinical settings, making it essential for social workers to develop culture-specific knowledge, practical skills, and deeper self-awareness. This conference will offer tools to build those competencies while addressing the broader systems that impact client well-being. Keynote speaker Dr. Alexandra Piñeros Shields will examine how today’s political and economic climate affects vulnerable communities. She will share micro-level strategies for protection and support, institutional responses that promote well-being, and macro-level approaches to help organizations foster cultures of belonging.
CONFERENCE AGENDA: 8:45am: Conference begins & welcome remarks
9:00-10:30am: Keynote Workshop (1.5 CEUs): Cultivating Cultures of Belonging in Response to the Logics of Expulsion, with Dr. Alexandra Piñeros Shields.
Dr. Piñeros Shields will discuss the impacts of the political and economic climate on various vulnerable communities. She will present various strategies at the micro level to protect those communities as well as institutional responses to ensure individual and community well-being. Dr. Piñeros Shields will also explore how organizations can engage in macro-level structural work to promote cultures of belonging.
10:30 - 12:00pm: Morning Workshops (1.5 CEUs):
- Workshop 1: Disability as Culture: Culturally Responsive Practices in Communities of Color, with Elspeth Slayter, MSW, MA, PhD, Lisa Johnson, MSW, PhD, & Lamont D. Simmons, MSW, EdD. Disability is seen as a cultural identity by many - but not all - of the 27% of the US population living with impairments. We introduce central themes, trends and realities related to “disability culture” in the US context with a particular focus on communities of color. We analyze the ways that social workers can engage in culturally responsive, anti-racist and anti-oppressive social work practice across social identity dimensions such as race, ethnicity, immigration status and disability.
- Workshop 2: Nothing About Us Without US: Leveraging Lived Expertise in Culturally Responsive Child Welfare Systems, with Kate Warren Barnes, Louie Gaspar, Kareemah Harris, & Ginalynn Root. This consent-driven conversation is designed to center and honor the voices of advocates with lived experience in the child welfare system. Grounded in Structural Social Work Theory, this session invites participants to engage with care, curiosity, and reflexivity about the responsibility for social workers to advance culturally responsive praxis. Together, we’ll explore identity, advocacy, healing, and the transformative power of lived experience in shaping the intersections of social work and child welfare systems policy and practice.
12:00-1:00pm: Lunch break
1:00-2:30: Afternoon Workshops (1.5 CEUs):
- Workshop 1: Reproductive Rights Post-Dobbs, with Sheila Ramirez, Current Policy Counsel for the National Network of Abortion Funds and professor of Reproductive Rights at New England Law. This workshop we'll discuss the status of reproductive rights in the United States post the 2022 Dobbs decision. We will cover topics like birth control, abortion, and gender affirming care and recent actions by the federal administration and the Supreme Court of the United States. We'll also discuss the role of social workers in this moment for Reproductive Justice.
- Workshop 2: Empowering Voices: Engaging Black Men and Boys in Social Work Practice, with Charles C. Daniels Jr., Ph.D., M.Div., LICSW. This interactive workshop is designed to equip social workers with the tools and knowledge needed to effectively engage Black men and boys in their communities. Through collaborative discussions and case studies, participants will explore culturally responsive strategies that promote justice, empowerment, and meaningful connections, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued in the social work landscape.
2:30: Conference ends
When you register for this conference, you will receive an email with a link to select your workshops.
Registrations are closing on November 12. his conference will be hosted in a Zoom Meeting room. Attendees will receive an email with details to join one day prior to the event. To receive CE credit, attendees must attend the full duration of the conference; partial credit is not available.
Cancellation Policy: No refunds will be made for cancellations received after November 12th. For questions email assoc.naswri@socialworkers.org.
Social Work Continuing Education Credit: CE credit is provided by the NASW-MA Chapter; CEUs have been approved for Massachusetts and Rhode Island attendees. If you are not licensed in Massachusetts and/or Rhode Island, please check with your state social work licensing board if they accept NASW-MA Chapter approved CEUs.
Adding Registration, Please wait...
